TRAITS AND NEIGHBOURHOODS Species traits influence their interactions and affect biodiversity-ecosystem functioning. Through experiments and theoretical simulations, I disentangle the effects of traits, neighbourhoods and assembly processes in tropical forest functioning. I established a shadehouse experiment to understand seedling-level effects in mixed-evergreen-deciduous forests of the Andaman Islands. Read a preprint of the first article from this work here - Anujan K. et al on bioRxiv. I also answered the question using a theoretical simulation of assembly filters that have unique trait signatures. Related work: 1. Trophic complexity alters the diversity-multifunctionality relationship in experimental grassland mesocosms Anujan K., Heilpern S. A., Prager C. M., Weeks B. C., and Naeem S., Ecology and Evolution. http://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7498 2. Heilpern Sebastian A, Anujan Krishna, Osuri Anand and Naeem Shahid2020, Positive correlations in species functional contributions drive the response of multifunctionality to biodiversity loss. Proc. R. Soc. B. 287:20192501. 20192501. doi:10.1098/rspb.2019.250
Watvh DATA EQUITY AND CO-PRODUCTION With other researchers working on trees in India, I co-founded INvenTree, the India Tree Inventory Database to collate, collaborate and distil novel insights on plot-level tree data across ecosystems. We are motivated by data equity and making this information accessible to aid efforts on restoration, conservation and management.
In another ongoing project, we are mapping tree-human relationships across smaller urban centres in India to fill gaps in global urban ecological studies. Read the first preprint here! I am also working on a collaborative project on operationalising a biocultural approach to conservation. In collaboration with researchers at Project Dhvani, and funded by the National Geographic Society, we are combining soundscapes and stories to understand forest change in Central India and the Western Ghats. Watch a video of our preliminary results here:
SPATIAL HETEROGENEITY Spatial and landscape dynamics can drive compositional differences among regions of a tropical forest and affect net primary productivity (NPP). I am interested in the interactions between ecological features of a protected area and strictness of protection to determine temporal variation in NPP. I am currently using Google Earth Engine to analyse temporal trends in NPP across protected areas in the Andaman Islands.
In collaboration with SeasonWatch and MSG, I am also working on understanding phenology change across common tree species in India with climate change. We analyse a large-scale, long-term citizen science dataset combined with spatial environmental variables to understand what determines fruiting and flowering in these species. Read the preprint here!