Biology subjects

Bangal, P.

Publications and source records attributed to Bangal, P..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

What's next for Indian Ornithology? 101 key research questions

India has a rich history of ornithology, and bird research in this field has expanded considerably in recent decades, spurred by a growing number of birdwatchers and ornithologists. Despite this progress, critical gaps remain. This paper highlights key areas where further research is needed and identifies pressing questions that will shape Indian ornithology in the coming years. Drawing from diverse inputs, we present a curated list of 101 research questions spanning across the various disciplines in ornithology - Natural History, Physiology and Disease Ecology, Behaviour, Population and Community Ecology, Habitat Ecology, Macroecology and Biogeography, Population Genetics and Evolution, Applied/Economic Ornithology and Conservation. The list was compiled through a multi-stage process, starting with a public open call for questions, followed by review and curation by a smaller panel of subject specialists. Each question was independently scored by a panel of experts based on three criteria: generality, novelty, and relevance. To account for variation in scoring styles, scores were normalised using Z-scores. The top 101 research questions were then selected based on these standardised scores. Each question is accompanied by an annotation that describes the significance of the question, and highlights opportunities to address it. While our list of research questions highlights significant research priorities, it is not intended to be exhaustive. Rather, it reflects the perspectives of those involved in its curation, who deemed these questions particularly relevant and impactful towards advancing Indian ornithology. We expect these questions to spark new project ideas among students, researchers, and citizen scientists, while guiding funders, managers, and policymakers toward priority research areas.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

Contrasting morphological and acoustic trait spaces suggest distinct benefits to participants in mixed-species bird flocks

Mixed-species bird flocks are dynamic associations that exhibit compositional turnover over relatively small timescales. Morphological diversity and foraging behaviour of species in flocks influences the relative benefits and costs of flock participation. In addition, species within flocks are highly acoustically active. However, the role of acoustic signals in flock assembly remains poorly understood. Here, we examined the relationship between acoustic and morphological trait spaces of bird flocks in peninsular India. We found that participant species are generally more similar in body mass than expected by chance. Flocks in general were dominated by smaller-sized species. Conversely, we found that flock participants are not similar in acoustic traits. Much literature suggests that morphology and acoustic signal parameters are known to be correlated, but we present evidence to suggest that these two trait spaces are decoupled at the community scale. This may enable species to derive distinct sets of benefits from both sets of traits, and provides valuable insight into the dynamic processes driving flock assembly. Lay summaryParticipants in mixed-species bird flocks tend to group together with similar-sized individuals. This morphological similarity in a crowded flock may result in acoustic signal overlap, as the two sets of traits are correlated to each other. Here, we find evidence to suggest that morphological and acoustic traits are decoupled in these interspecific associations, putatively enabling species to derive benefits from flocking with similar-sized species, and simultaneously minimize acoustic masking interference.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2022

Long-term bird abundance in a threatened grassland ecosystem: an assessment using daily bird lists

Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs), such as tropical grasslands, are among the most threatened habitats on Earth today. The long-term monitoring of ONEs is an important research domain that is essential for understanding anthropogenic impacts and facilitating conservation action. Using a simple day-listing method over a 13-year period, we studied species trends in a central Indian grassland-agriculture mosaic experiencing several land-use changes. Our results indicate that some grassland species (such as the Great Indian Bustard Ardeotis nigriceps) show steep declines during the study period, while other generalist species (such as the Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus) show an increasing trend. Daily listing also reveals distinct seasonal patterns, and we discuss the Great Indian Bustard and Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus as examples. Our study highlights the utility of consistent checklist surveys to monitor population trends of bird communities within a changing landscape.

ecology↗