Deciphering mycobiota and its functional dynamics in root hairs of Rhododendron campanulatum D. Don through Next-gen sequencing.

The Himalayas provide unique opportunities for the extension of shrubs beyond the upper limit of the tree. However, little is known about the limitation of the biotic factors belowground of shrub growth at these cruising altitudes. To fill this gap, the present study deals with the documentation of root-associated microbiota with their predicted functional profiles and interactions in the host Rhododendron campanulatum, a krummholz species.

Uncovering the secret weapons of an invasive plant: The endophytic microbes of .

Understanding plant-microbe interaction can be useful in identifying the microbial drivers of plant invasions. It is in this context that we explored the diversity of endophytic microbes from leaves of , an annual plant that is highly invasive in Kashmir Himalaya. We also tried to establish the role of endophytes in the invasiveness of this alien species.

Traditional uses, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Toxicology of the Genus : A High-value Medicinal Plant.

Biologically active secondary metabolites, essential oils, and volatile compounds derived from medicinal and aromatic plants play a crucial role in promoting human health. Within the large family Asteraceae, the genus consists of approximately 500 species. species have a rich history in traditional medicine worldwide, offering remedies for a wide range of ailments, such as malaria, jaundice, toothache, gastrointestinal problems, wounds, inflammatory diseases, diarrhoea, menstrual pains, skin disorders, headache, and intestinal parasites.

Calcium Oxalate Crystals, the Plant 'Gemstones': Insights into Their Synthesis and Physiological Implications in Plants.

From simple algal forms to the most advanced angiosperms, calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystals (CRs) occur in the majority of taxonomic groups of photosynthetic organisms. Various studies have demonstrated that this biomineralization is not a simple or random event but a genetically regulated coordination between calcium uptake, oxalate (OX) synthesis and, sometimes, environmental stresses. Certainly, the occurrence of CaOx CRs is old; however, questions related to their genesis, biosynthesis, significance and genetics exhibit robust evolution.

Species composition of root-associated mycobiome of ruderal invasive Anthemis cotula L. varies with elevation in Kashmir Himalaya.

Investigating the microbial communities associated with invasive plant species can provide insights into how these species establish and thrive in new environments. Here, we explored the fungal species associated with the roots of the invasive species Anthemis cotula L. at 12 sites with varying elevations in the Kashmir Himalaya.

Rapid upwards spread of non-native plants in mountains across continents.

High-elevation ecosystems are among the few ecosystems worldwide that are not yet heavily invaded by non-native plants. This is expected to change as species expand their range limits upwards to fill their climatic niches and respond to ongoing anthropogenic disturbances. Yet, whether and how quickly these changes are happening has only been assessed in a few isolated cases.

Seedling ectomycorrhization is central to conifer forest restoration: a case study from Kashmir Himalaya.

Over the past few decades, many countries have attempted to carry out forest landscape restoration over millions of hectares of degraded land. Such efforts, however, have met with limited success because of several factors, including a lack of adequate emphasis on ectomycorrhization of the nursery seedlings. A similar scenario is seen in the Kashmir Himalaya, where the natural regeneration of degraded forests is poor despite ample restoration efforts by forest managers.

Decline in the suitable habitat of dominant Abies species in response to climate change in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region: insights from species distribution modelling.

Reliable predictions of future distribution ranges of ecologically important species in response to climate change are required for developing effective management strategies. Here we used an ensemble modelling approach to predict the distribution of three important species of Abies namely, Abies pindrow, Abies spectabilis and Abies densa in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region under the current and two shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP245 and SSP585) and time periods of 2050 and 2090s. A correlative ensemble model using presence/absence data of the three Abies species and 22 environmental variables, including 19 bioclimatic variables and 3 topographic variables, from known distributions was built to predict the potential current and future distribution of these species.

Risk analysis of fast spreading species in a Kashmir Himalayan National Park (Dachigam) for better monitoring and management.

Huge economic costs and ecological impacts of invasive alien species (IAS) in the protected areas (PAs) worldwide make their timely prediction and potential risk assessment of central importance for effective management. While the preborder weed risk assessment framework has been extensively evaluated and implemented, the postborder species risk assessment framework has not been subjected to the same degree of scrutiny. Here we used a rather more realistic modified version of the Australian Weed Risk framework (AWRM) for Dachigam National Park (DNP) in Kashmir Himalaya against 84 plant species, including 55 alien species and 29 fast spreading native species, for risk analysis.

Anthropogenic activities and geographic locations regulate microbial diversity, community assembly and species sorting in Canadian and Indian freshwater lakes.

Freshwater lakes are important reservoirs and sources of drinking water globally. However, the microbiota, which supports the functionality of these ecosystems is threatened by the influx of nutrients, heavy metals and other toxic chemical substances from anthropogenic activities. The influence of these factors on the diversity, assembly mechanisms and co-occurrence patterns of bacterial communities in freshwater lakes is not clearly understood.

Risk assessment and management framework for rapidly spreading species in a Kashmir Himalayan Ramsar site.

In view of huge ecological impacts and exorbitantly high economic costs of biological invasions, the risk assessment for timely prediction of potential invaders and their effective management assumes central importance, yet having been little addressed. Hence, we did the risk analysis of 39 plant species, including both alien and fast-spreading native species, in Hokera wetland, an important Ramsar site in Kashmir Himalaya, using the post-border Australian Weed Risk Management (AWRM) framework. Based on the AWRM scores, we listed these species into different categories, such as alert, destroy infestation, contain spread, manage weed, manage sites and monitor, with management implications.

Phyllosphere microbiome: Diversity and functions.

Phyllosphere or aerial surface of plants represents the globally largest and peculiar microbial habitat that inhabits diverse and rich communities of bacteria, fungi, viruses, cyanobacteria, actinobacteria, nematodes, and protozoans. These hyperdiverse microbial communities are related to the host's specific functional traits and influence the host's physiology and the ecosystem's functioning. In the last few years, significant advances have been made in unravelling several aspects of phyllosphere microbiology, including diversity and microbial community composition, dynamics, and functional interactions.

Species richness and β-diversity patterns of macrolichens along elevation gradients across the Himalayan Arc.

Understanding the species richness and β-diversity patterns along elevation gradients can aid in formulating effective conservation strategies particularly in areas where local anthropogenic stresses and climate change are quite significant as in the Himalaya. Thus, we studied macrolichen richness and β-diversity along elevational gradients at three sites, namely Kashmir (2200 to 3800 m a.m.

Genetic diversity may help evolutionary rescue in a clonal endemic plant species of Western Himalaya.

Habitat loss due to climate change may cause the extinction of the clonal species with a limited distribution range. Thus, determining the genetic diversity required for adaptability by these species in sensitive ecosystems can help infer the chances of their survival and spread in changing climate. We studied the genetic diversity and population structure of Sambucus wightiana-a clonal endemic plant species of the Himalayan region for understanding its possible survival chances in anticipated climate change.

Site and Organ-Specific Culture-Dependent Endophytic Diversity of Crocus sativus L. (Saffron) in Kashmir Himalaya, India.

The endophytic diversity of a host plant has been shown to vary across various spatio-temporal scales and between different organs of a plant, but no such study has been carried out on the economically important plant Crocus sativus (saffron). To fill this knowledge gap, the present study was undertaken to document the diversity of culturable bacterial, actinomycete and fungal endophytes at multiple sites from vegetative and reproductive organs of C. sativus.

Next Generation High Throughput Sequencing to Assess Microbial Communities: An Application Based on Water Quality.

Traditional techniques to identify different contaminants (biological or chemical) in the waters are slow, laborious, and can require specialized expertise. Hence, the rapid determination of water quality using more sensitive and reliable metagenomic based approaches attains special importance. Metagenomics deals with the study of genetic material that is recovered from microbial communities present in environmental samples.

Morel mushroom, from Kashmir Himalaya: a potential source of therapeutically useful bioactives that possess free radical scavenging, anti-inflammatory, and arthritic edema-inhibiting activities.

Morel mushrooms, species are highly nutritious and excellently edible wild mushrooms abundantly growing in Kashmir Himalayas. The free radical scavenging, anti-inflammatory, and arthritis edema-inhibiting properties of bioactive extract of (EAE) were evaluated. EAE inhibited 53.

Phenotypic Variability and Genetic Diversity of in Quebec and Kashmir Reveal Contrasting Population Structure.

The origin of differences in traits influencing competitive success between invasive and native wild populations of alien species is subject of debate. Herbarium-based information sources from 2005 onwards about nativity and distributional range of were used to survey putative native populations of the species in Quebec, and chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) PCR-RFLP analyses identified only one native population, whereas the same analyses revealed that the Kashmir populations are invasive. We compared the native population of in Quebec (QN), ten populations invasive to Quebec (QE), and five populations invasive in Kashmir, India (KE) using morphometric traits.

Differential Bioaccumulation of Select Heavy Metals from Wastewater by Lemna minor.

The capacity of Lemna minor to remediate toxic heavy metals from wastewater is reasonably well documented. In view of the pivotal role of this species in the environmental clean-up, here we evaluated the bioaccumulation potential of L. minor for cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and nickel (Ni) through a controlled experiment.

Chalcone synthases (CHSs): the symbolic type III polyketide synthases.

Present review provides a thorough insight on some significant aspects of CHSs over a period of about past three decades with a better outlook for future studies toward comprehending the structural and mechanistic intricacy of this symbolic enzyme. Polyketide synthases (PKSs) form a large family of iteratively acting multifunctional proteins that are involved in the biosynthesis of spectrum of natural products. They exhibit remarkable versatility in the structural configuration and functional organization with an incredible ability to generate different classes of compounds other than the characteristic secondary metabolite constituents.

Silicon Supplementation of Rescuegrass Reduces Herbivory by a Grasshopper.

The theory of coevolution suggests that herbivores play an important role in the diversification and composition of plant communities. A prevalent idea holds that grasses and grazing animals participated in an evolutionary "arms race" as grassland ecosystems started spreading across the continents. In this race, besides other things, silicification in the form of phytoliths occurred in the grasses, and the graminivorous herbivores responded through specialized mandibles to feed on plants rich in phytoliths.

, an endangered high-value medicinal herb of North Western Himalayas: a review of its botany, ethnomedical uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology.

(Himalayan Rhubarb) is a multipurpose, endemic and endangered medicinal herb of North Western Himalayas. It finds extensive use as a medicinal herb since antiquity in different traditional systems of medicine to cure a wide range of ailments related to the circulatory, digestive, endocrine, respiratory and skeletal systems as well as to treat various infectious diseases. The remedying properties of this plant species are ascribed to a set of diverse bioactive secondary metabolite constituents, particularly anthraquinones (emodin, chrysophanol, physcion, aloe-emodin and rhein) and stilbenoids (piceatannol, resveratrol), besides dietary flavonoids known for their putative health benefits.