Specialisation : Ecology and Conservation Biology

Academic qualifications:

M.Sc. (Zoology) - University of Calcutta

Ph.D. (Ecology) - Pondicherry University

Research interests: In the Ecology Research Unit we are trying to understand how various stressors impact biodiversity and ecosystem function along ecological gradients at different landscape scales. We have looked at a wide range of model organisms and ecosystems to understand this process. Our works has included, but is not limited to: the study of avian frugivores; ant diversity along forest disturbance gradients; soil faunal communities along fire affected forest gradients and the birds and butterfly diversity along gradients of urbanization. Centre for Pollination Studies (now renamed as Centre for Agroecology and Pollination Studies) was founded out of Ecology Research Unit in 2012 as an outcome of a Darwin Initiative Project. Research at the Centre focusses specifically on agro-ecosystems and have been looking into the diversity of and ecosystem service delivery by key ecosystem service providers like pollinators and natural predators of crop pests in agroecosystems. An evolving theme in the research group is to assess how stressors like pesticides and pathogens might impact the physiology and genetic mechanisms of the species providing key ecosystem services e.g. bees. Pedagogical action research in Agroecological education has also been an ongoing activity in the Centre for Agroecology and Pollination Studies.

List of publications:

1. Shruti Sengupta, Moumita Mondal, Parthiba Basu, 2014a. Bird species assemblage across a rural urban gradient around Kolkata, India. Urban Ecosystems, 17: 585-596. IF: 1.740

2. Soumik Chatterjee and Parthiba Basu, 2014b. Differential effect of fruit availability on avian frugivore guilds in a moist deciduous forest in India. Proceedings of Zoological Society, Kolkata. Published online at http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12595-014-0112-9

3. Soumik Chatterjee and Parthiba Basu. 2015. Avian frugivory and seed dispersal of a large fruited tree in an Indian moist deciduous forest. Acta Oecologica, 65-66: 32 – 40. IF: 1.420

4. Priyadarshini Chakrabarti, Santanu Rana, Barbara Smith, Sagartirtha Sarkar & Parthiba Basu. 2015. Pesticide induced oxidative stress in laboratory and field populations of native honey bees along intensive agricultural landscapes in two Eastern Indian states. Apidologie, 46: 107 – 129. IF: 2.155