Researchers from National Institute of Oceanography, Goa have studied seasonal distribution of single celled organisms with shells known as forams or foraminifera, in the mudbanks of Allepy, Kerala. The study was conducted to understand the response of forams to physical and chemical changes in the environment associated with the mudbank formation.

Scientists from Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal, and Indian Institute of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, both part of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), have been studying the effects of climate factors and use of insecticides on the ability of soil to consume methane.  Their study reveals one of the harmful effects of the insecticide- Chlorpyrifos, and a way to tackle the issue.

Researchers from Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand and the Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University, India, reveal the rich diversity of microbes in the Thar desert.

How do scientists proclaim an ecosystem like the Western Ghats as an ‘biodiversity hotspot’ and push for its conservation? They do so by ‘ecological sampling’, a technique used to find diversity and abundance of animals and plants in a habitat. They collect samples of plants and animals from different locations within an area and extrapolate the possible biodiversity that exists in the area.