Browsing by Author "Singh, Ashutosh Kumar"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    A global review of rubber plantations: Impacts on ecosystem functions, mitigations, future directions, and policies for sustainable cultivation
    (Elsevier B.V., 2021) Singh, Ashutosh Kumar; Liu, Wenjie; Zakari, Sissou; Wu, Junen; Yang, Bin; Jiang, Xiao Jin; Zhu, Xiai; Zou, Xin; Zhang, Wanjun; Chen, Chunfeng; Singh, Rishikesh; Nath, Arun Jyoti
    The growing global need for latex is driving rubber plantation (RP) expansion since the last century, with >2 Mha of cultivation area being established in the last decade. Southeast Asia is the hotspot for rubber cultivation at other land-use costs. Although rubber cultivation has improved the economic status of farmers, it has altered the habitat's ecology and ecosystem functions (EF). However, studies on the impacts of RP on EF are limited, and a clear overview is not available. To bridge this gap, we conducted an inclusive review of the EF of RP, including soil carbon storage, aboveground biomass (AGB) and belowground biomass (BGB), litter production and decomposition, respiration, and biodiversity (plants, animals, soil fauna, and microbes). We compared the EF in RP (monoculture) with those in forests because the conversion of forests to RP is prevalent in the tropics and because most RP studies used forests as reference ecosystems. We found RP generally have lower EF than forests. The impacts of RP on some EF are more severe (e.g., AGB, BGB, and plant diversity), causing decreases of >55%, and the effects are consistently negative irrespective of plantation age. However, including agroforestry or polyculture, integrated pest management, cover cropping, mulching, and composting can improve the EF in RP to some extent. We highlighted research gaps, particularly substantial research gaps concerning the influence of plant diversity treatments (i.e., agroforestry) performed in RP on EF. Additionally, more empirical data on the significance of spatial and temporal levels are required, such as how the impact on EF could vary with climate and RP age, as we showed some examples where EF differs spatially and temporally. More importantly, further research on plantation management to offset EF losses is needed. Finally, we emphasized knowledge gaps and suggested future directions and policies for improving EF in RP. � 2021 Elsevier B.V.
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    Advancement of Single-Cell Sequencing in Medulloblastoma
    (Humana Press Inc., 2022) Verma, Deepanshu; Nayak, Namyashree; Singh, Ashuthosh; Singh, Ashutosh Kumar; Garg, Neha
    Single-cell sequencing is a promising attempt to investigate the genomic, transcriptomic, and multiomic level of individual cell in the larger population of cells. The outward evolution of the technique from a manual method to the automation of single-cell sequencing is cogent. Lately, single-cell sequencing is widely used in various fields of science and has applications in neurobiology, immunity, cancer, microbiology, reproduction, and digestion. This chapter introduces the reader to the details of single-cell sequencing, currently used in several small-scale and commercial platforms. The advancement of single-cell sequencing in brain cancer sheds light on questions unanswered so far in the field of oncology. � 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
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    Butea monosperma: a leguminous species for sustainable forestry programmes
    (Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2021) Rai, Apurva; Pandey, Vimal Chandra; Singh, Ashutosh Kumar; Ghoshal, Nandita; Singh, Nandita
    Forestry and greening programs in urban area are faced due to lack of awareness about multiple roles/benefits of trees, especially their role in drought proofing, prevention of soil and water run-off, degraded land restoration, livelihood security and sustainable development. In this regard, Butea monosperma (Lam.) Taubert, a medium-sized legume tree species, has gained much importance because of its multipurpose usage and well adaptability to forestry programs. We have documented the importance of Butea monosperma by surveys and compared with available literature. During the exhaustive surveys, 250 locals were interviewed between 2014 and 2016. We recorded maximum information of Butea monosperma viz. botanical description, traditional knowledge, commercial status, medicinal values and ecological importance. Globally, a reduction in its distribution has categorized it as an endangered species; the main reasons are overexploitation and inadequate awareness. Thus, the present paper deals with the beneficial uses and effectiveness of Butea monosperma for urban forestry and greening which could lead to generate interest in rising demand and value to broaden the scope for conservation, value addition and identification of multipurpose species. � 2020, Springer Nature B.V.
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    Carbon Storage and Carbon Dioxide Sequestration by Urban Tree Cover: Case Study From Varanasi, India
    (Springer, 2022) Singh, Ashutosh Kumar; Nair, Vivek Kumar; Singh, Hema; Mishra, Rohit Kumar; Singh, J.S.
    Increasing number of urban settlements is a major contributor to global climate change and has resulted into rising sea level, increasing the frequency of floods and droughts and ultimately decreasing human well-being. Urban areas are likely to account for 68 per cent of the world�s population by 2050, which will result in extensive environmental degradation and ecological destruction. They are considered the major source of carbon emissions because anthropogenic activities such as the heating of domestic spaces and vehicular emissions are concentrated in urban areas. Tree populations in urban areas have a tremendous potential to mitigate emissions through carbon sequestration. However, only a few studies on the quantification of carbon stock in urban vegetation are so far available. There is therefore an urgent need to quantify the amount of sequestered carbon in urban tree cover for better monitoring and management of regional carbon stock. In the present study, we explore the potential of carbon dioxide sequestration in trees at a few sites in the heavily populated city of Varanasi. Our study shows that the carbon stock in both above-ground and below-ground biomass in different sites averaged 1901 metric tonnes of carbon per hectare, with carbon dioxide sequestration of 6977 tonnes per hectare. This indicates that urban tree plantations have a significant potential to sequester anthropogenic carbon locally at source and to stock it in their biomass for long periods of time. Some key recommendations regarding the expansion of urban green cover and the planting of fast-growing native species are offered, in order to enhance carbon dioxide sequestration. � 2022, The National Academy of Sciences, India.
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    Plant Invasion and Climate Change: An Overview on History, Impacts, and Management Practices
    (Springer Nature, 2023) Singh, Ritturaj; Singh, Ashutosh Kumar; Rajak, Prakash; Singh, Hema
    Species that implement new home ranges and then multiply, proliferate, and endure there at the cost of their surroundings are said to be alien species. Anthropogenic activities are one of the most important reasons for the unheard changes to the dispersion of the world biota. Invasion of plants (as well as animals) has been significantly expanded in the last few decades as a consequence of the quickly developing international trade and transportation. Among the primary causes of species extinction, invasive alien plant species (IAPS) are thought to affect social and economic conditions and ecological services through a variety of processes. The health of humans is also significantly impacted by alien species, both positively and negatively, but mostly negatively. A compre-hensive understanding of the dynamic mechanisms associated in the invasion procedure must be developed in order to establish an effective management strategy for invasive species. Changes in temperature and precipitation regimes and related processes are further accelerating the invasion success of several species and causing severe threat to the native ecosystems and their species composition. For avoiding severe cumulative effects of plant invasion and cli-mate change, it is essential to judicially handle unwanted alien species in native and foreign habitats. Direct monitoring of invasive alien species usually requires an integrated strategy comprising of the coordinated application of a number of techniques. In this chapter, emphasis has been given on understanding the impacts of invasive species on different ecological and socio-economic aspects, followed by outlining some prudent measures for their management in light of changing climate scenario. Several techniques that are accessible are often divided into three categories, viz. mechanical, chemical, and biocontrol techniques. Here, we conclude that using alien species in various value-added processes may be crucial in limiting their spread. � The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023.
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    The role of microRNA-21 in the onset and progression of cancer
    (Future Medicine Ltd., 2021) Singh, Ashutosh; Singh, Ashutosh Kumar; Giri, Rajanish; Kumar, Dhruv; Sharma, Rohit; Valis, Martin; Kuca, Kamil; Garg, Neha
    MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small noncoding RNA, posttranscriptionally regulate the expression of genes. Aberrant expression of miRNA is reported in various types of cancer. Since the first report of oncomiR-21 involvement in the glioma, its upregulation was reported in multiple cancers and was allied with high oncogenic property. In addition to the downregulation of tumor suppressor genes, the miR-21 is also associated with cancer resistance to various chemotherapy. The recent research is appraising miR-21 as a promising cancer target and biomarker for early cancer detection. In this review, we briefly explain the biogenesis and regulation of miR-21 in cancer cells. Additionally, the review features the assorted genes/pathways regulated by the miR-21 in various cancer and cancer stem cells. � 2021 Newlands Press.