Butterfly of Assam University Campus in Silchar: Can Academic Institutions Contribute to Conservation of Species Diversity in Northeastern Region of India

Northeast India is amongst most bio-diverse ecological communities although recent developmental activities marred the environment to a great extent. Assam University campus in Silchar is situated in Barak valley of Assam, boasting a variety of habitats supporting invertebrate diversity. Heavy rainfall during monsoon increases vegetation and in turn larval food plants and overall butterfly density. Total 38 butterfly species were identified belonging to 30 genera under 5 families: Nymphalidae having the maximum species richness (58%), followed by Hesperiidae (13%), Lycaenidae (13%), Pieridae (11%) and Papilionidae (5%). This paper focuses on the problems and possible solutions towards butterfly conservation and highlights the role of academic institutions in conserving biodiversity by acting as green spaces for reducing effects of climate change, carbon sequestration and lowering of energy consumption among other benefits.

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Bees and Butterflies in Burned and Unburned Alvar Woodland: Evidence for the Importance of Postfire Succession to Insect Pollinator Diversity in an Imperiled Ecosystem

The Canadian Field-Naturalist ◽

10.22621/cfn.v125i4.1258 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 125 (4) ◽

pp. 297 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Alana N. Taylor ◽

Paul M. Catling

Keyword(s):

Vascular Plant ◽

Fire Frequency ◽

Food Plants ◽

Natural Phenomenon ◽

Butterfly Species ◽

Contributing Factors ◽

Larval Food ◽

Nesting Sites ◽

Pollinating Insects ◽

Burned Site

The apparent importance of successional habitat to pollinating insects, specifically bees (Hymenoptera) and butterflies (Lepidoptera) was quantified in an alvar landscape in the Ottawa valley through a comparison of burned and unburned alvar woodland. The two adjacent habitats on the same successional gradient were sampled by sweeping with additional data from pitfall traps for bees and by direct observation with close focus binoculars and occasional verification through capture with a net for butterflies. The sampling was done during 11 visits in 2008 beginning 16 May and ending 13 September. Both bee and butterfly diversity were higher in the post-fire burned alvar woodland compared to the adjacent unburned woodland based on species richness, number of individuals and Brillouin’s Biodiversity Index which takes evenness and heterogeneity into account. No bees were captured in the unburned area, but 34 species and 201 individuals were captured in the burned site. The most abundant bee species was Augochlora aurata. Lepidoptera were represented in the burned site by 35 species and 408 individuals compared to 15 species and 21 individuals in the unburned woodland. The most common butterfly species in the burned woodland was Callophrys polios. The higher diversity of pollinators in the burned site was correlated with both higher vascular plant diversity and much higher cover and frequency values for insect-pollinated plants providing nectar and pollen including flowering shrubs such as Amelanchier alnifolia var. compacta, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi and Prunus virginiana. The burned site also provided more cover of larval food plants for butterflies and apparently more nesting sites for bees. We suggest that a decrease in fire frequency and in the availability of open successional habitats are contributing factors in the decline of pollinators, and that endangered ecosystems where fire has been a natural phenomenon may require fire or fire-simulated management to sustain their biodiversity.

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Complete Field Guide to Butterflies of Australia

10.1071/9780643093027 ◽

2004 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Michael F Braby

Keyword(s):

Single Species ◽

Food Plants ◽

Butterfly Species ◽

Distribution Map ◽

Larval Food ◽

Field Guide ◽

The Family ◽

Complete Field ◽

Remote Islands ◽

Scientific Name

This is the first complete field guide to all butterfly species on Australia’s mainland and its remote islands. Written by one of Australia's leading lepidopterists, it is stunningly illustrated with colour photographs of each of the 416 currently identified species. There is also a distribution map for each species on the Australian mainland. It covers the five major family groups: Hesperiidae, Paplionidae, Pieridae, Nymphalidae and Lycaenidae, as well as the family Riodinidae, which has but a single species in Australia. The introduction covers adult structure, classification, distribution and habitats, and life cycle and behaviour. This is followed by accounts of each of the 416 species, giving common name, scientific name, and other names (if any), as well as details of behaviour, habitat, status, and larval food plants. Accompanying each species is a distribution map, and photographs of the upperside and underside of both male and female specimens. The book also contains a checklist of all species, a list of entomological contacts, a glossary, a bibliography, an index of common names and an index of scientific names.

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New additions to the larval food plants of Sri Lankan butterflies (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea)

Journal of Threatened Taxa ◽

10.11609/jott.6875.13.2.17731-17740 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 17731-17740

Author(s):

Himesh Dilruwan Jayasinghe ◽

Sarath Sanjeewa Rajapakshe ◽

Tharindu Ranasinghe

Keyword(s):

Sri Lanka ◽

Conservation Management ◽

Food Plants ◽

Butterfly Species ◽

Sri Lankan ◽

Larval Food ◽

First Time

Larval food plants (LFPs) of Sri Lankan butterflies have been well documented recently with the aid of studies done by numerous researchers. In this paper, we present further records, 118 LFPs used by 83 butterflies and 145 plant-butterfly combinations. LFPs of Lethe dynsate and Potanthus pseudomaesa pseudomaesa are reported for the first time in Sri Lanka. Important observations, possible LFPs and LFP preferences of rare and threatened butterfly species, are discussed. This information on plant-butterfly interactions will play an important role in conservation management of both plant and butterfly species.

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Seasonal Diversity of Butterflies in the Fragmented Habitats of Waghai Botanical Garden of The Dangs - Gujarat

International Journal of Biological Research ◽

10.14419/ijbr.v4i2.6651 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 237

Author(s):

Suchi Gandhi ◽

Dolly Kumar

Keyword(s):

Monsoon Season ◽

Habitat Preferences ◽

Research Work ◽

Botanical Garden ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Food Plants ◽

Butterfly Species ◽

Larval Food ◽

Post Monsoon ◽

Extinction Events

Background: The world is currently undergoing a very rapid loss of butterfly biodiversity comparable with the great mass extinction events that have previously occurred only five or six times in the Earth’s history. This is an alarming call of these tiny scraps of biodiversity which now have scarce appearance surrounding the huge human kingdom.Objective: The richness of biodiversity depends on the climatic conditions and area of the region. The present research work focuses on studying butterflies diversity, their habitat preferences and seasonal distribution in structured plots of Waghai Botanical Garden.Method: For carrying out systematic study, Waghai Botanical Garden was fragmented into five sub habitats i.e. Dry & Moist Deciduous plot, Evergreen plot, Bamboo plot & Dang plot, Scrub Thorn Forest & Medicinal & Taxonomy plot. Intra-individual comparative abundance study for observed butterfly species within fragmented plots of Waghai botanical garden was carried out graphically to study the butterfly’s preference in the plots of botanical garden.Results: Out of 70 species, the maximum number of species i.e. 27 species were observed from family Nymphalidae, followed by 18 species from Lycaenidae, 15 species from Pieridae, Papilionidae with 7 species and 3 species from Hesperiidae.Conclusion: During post-monsoon season, highest total average rainfall of around 850 mm was observed in Waghai during monsoon, which provided excellent quality and quantity of larval food plants for the caterpillars and nectar rich flower source for adult butterflies in post-monsoon months. Thus maximum numbers of butterflies’ species were observed during the months of October & November.

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Complete Field Guide to Butterflies of Australia

10.1071/9781486301010 ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Michael Braby

Keyword(s):

Food Plants ◽

Species Variation ◽

Butterfly Species ◽

Similar Species ◽

Distribution Map ◽

Larval Food ◽

Field Guide ◽

Important Group ◽

Award Winning ◽

Complete Field

As fascinating as they are beautiful, butterflies are a pleasure to watch and an important group of invertebrates to study. This second edition of the award-winning book The Complete Field Guide to Butterflies of Australia is a fully updated guide to all butterfly species on Australia's mainland and remote islands. Written by one of Australia's leading lepidopterists, the book is stunningly illustrated with colour photographs, many of which are new, of each of the 435 currently recognised species. There is also a distribution map and flight chart for each species on the Australian mainland, together with information on similar species, variation, behaviour, habitat, status and larval food plants. The introduction to the book covers adult structure, higher classification, distribution and habitats, as well as life cycle and behaviour. A new chapter on collecting and preserving butterflies is included. There is also an updated checklist of all species, a glossary, a bibliography and indexes of common and scientific names.

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Entrepreneurship Development in Saitual Sericulture Cluster in Mizoram

SEDME (Small Enterprises Development Management & Extension Journal) ◽

10.1177/0970846419873753 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 46 (3) ◽

pp. 141-151

Author(s):

Lalzuitluangi ◽

Rama Ramswamy

Keyword(s):

Northeast India ◽

Food Plants ◽

Primary Data ◽

Key Factors ◽

Silk Production ◽

Suitable Climate ◽

Northeastern State ◽

The Government ◽

Development Approach

Sericulture in India has existed since time immemorial. India is the second largest producer of silk in the world and has 15.49 per cent share in global raw silk production. Mizoram is one of the most promising states for developing sericulture in Northeast India where all the four varieties of silk producing food plants are grown and silkworms are reared for silk production. Cluster development approach has emerged as an important tool for development of land-based enterprises in the developing countries in recent times. The present study attempts to understand the role of cluster in the emergence of entrepreneurship in the Saitual cluster in the northeastern state of Mizoram. The article relies mainly on primary data collected from all the agripreneurs (180) engaged in sericulture activities in Saitual cluster, which is comprised of seven villages. Agripreneurship is thriving in Saitual cluster on the key factors of availability of land and family labour, complemented by suitable climate for sericulture along with assistance from the government.

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Catch them Young : Role of Educational Institutions in Community Development- A Descriptive Study on the Perception of College Students in Chennai

GIS Business ◽

10.26643/gis.v14i6.11694 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (6) ◽

pp. 170-182

Author(s):

Dr. R. Sundari ◽

Ms. Sangeetha Manoj

Keyword(s):

Community Development ◽

Collective Action ◽

Body Politic ◽

Weighted Average ◽

Well Being ◽

Educational Institutions ◽

Average Score ◽

Academic Institutions ◽

Grass Root Level

Community Development is a process of collective action taken by the members of a community to generate solutions for common problems. The aspects of community well being namely Economic, Social, Environmental and Cultural well being evolves from this type of collective action taken at multiple societal levels. (Weaver, 1971) defines community development as a process of “A public-group approach dedicated to achieving the goals of the total body politic.” Therefore, it is evident that a community can be developed through the effective participation of citizens. It is universally acceptable that community service is a vehicle for safeguarding the environment that is initiated from the participants of the community. In order to imbibe the community consciousness among the citizens, every country should “Catch them Young”. The purpose of the paper is to integrate Participative Model (Active Citizenship, Citizen Networks and Co-production) with Self-service Model (Social Governance, Societal Discipline and Accountability). National and international reviews show that the perception about the community and realisation has to be ingrained at the grass root level; this can be achieved through the participation of academic institutions. This paper is an attempt to highlight. The initiatives taken by educational institutions to imbibe social consciousness, The perceptions of students about their role in community development, and, To identify the effective Private Public Partnership areas for community building Factor analysis has been applied to identify the role of educational institutions and individual citizen’s( Students) in building community consciousness. Linear Regression had been applied in the study to measure the influence of Educational Institutions on the role of Students in building the community. A weighted average score is awarded by the students for the potential areas of public private partnership for community development is highlighted. The results of the study provide an impact created by the institution over the students. The Study also, consolidates some of the successful community bonding and building activities carried out Academic Institutions.

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The Academic Study of Sufism at American Universities

American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences ◽

10.35632/ajiss.v24i3.423 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 24-45 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Marcia Hermansen

Keyword(s):

Twentieth Century ◽

Current Situation ◽

Muslim World ◽

Western Thought ◽

Academic Institutions ◽

Academic Context ◽

American Universities ◽

Islamic Studies ◽

Academic Study

This article provides an overview of the history and current situation of the academic study of Sufism (Islamic mysticism) at American universities. It examines Sufism’s place within the broader curriculum of Islamic studies as well as some of the main themes and approaches employed by American scholars. In addition, it explains both the academic context in which Sufi studies are located and the role of contemporary positions in Islamic and western thought in shaping its academic study.1 Topics and issues of particular interest to a Muslim audience, as well as strictly academic observations, will be raised. In comparison to its role at academic institutions in the traditional Muslim world,2 Sufi studies has played a larger role within the western academic study of Islam during the twentieth century, especially the later decades. I will discuss the numerous reasons for this in the sections on the institutional, intellectual, and pedagogical contexts.

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