Vol.2, No.2
Organism's Adaptability to the Adverse Condition is Genetic or Epigenetic
Hirendra Nath Sarma
Editor-in-Chief
Email: hirendra.sarma@rgu.ac.in
The 21st Century has witnessed tremendous development of "Life's" adaptability, susceptibility, flexibility to the adverse condition in nature. While many organisms died, some survive in the adverse condition. The best example seen by the world community is the COVID 19. The scientists are aware of various such adverse condition of nature which is not favorable for life. Scientists forwarded possible genetic and epigenetic factors of organism which helps the later to survive in such adverse condition. However, a precise mechanism of survival to the adverse condition either environmental or physical to the organism is yet to be elucidated.
Recent development on research on genomics and proteomics using molecular biology tools has unfolded many undiscovered truth on organism's genetic set up and its adaptability to environment. The process of adaptability has been going on in various dimensions starting billions of years back when living cells appeared on the earth. It could have been either over looked or not understood by the philosophers till the other day. The human society has seen today the worst ever struggle against adverse physical, physiological and environmental situations many of which are yet to be illustrated. A small genetic element in the biological form of pandemic viral attack has done the unbelievable annihilation of lives in the beginning of 21st century civilization. Truth lies in the genes, the chemical terminology is the DNA which is live, flexible, adaptable to adverse condition for its existence. Organism's genetic set up is well defined today by its genomic DNA. It is fixed for a specific organism. The number of genes in the specific number of chromosomes in the organism; all has been determined by the scientist in the 21st century. The functions of each and every gene have been too well defined in organism including microbes. In such a well defined structure of Scientific evaluation, it is a question, how organism develop adaptability to adverse situation.
Microbes develop resistance to environmental condition as well as antibiotics application. New antibiotics need to be applied to control microbes over a period of time. While microbes' adaptability and resistance have been widely studied in various dimensions, higher order organisms' survivality and adaptability to adverse situations need to be elaborated. Does the adaptability of higher order organisms to adverse environmental situation is less than the microbes ?
The mechanism of higher order organism's adaptability to adverse environmental condition needs to be elucidated. In nature adaptability of many organisms in low oxygen, water, food and nutrients in cells, presence of toxic materials in surroundings is of common occurrence. Similar ways, life can survive in different adverse situation, like survival of aquatic organism in extreme draught, high temperature, cold as examples. There are umpteen examples of such life's adaptability to difficult situation either against physical or chemical changes of its surrounding environment. During the last century, the humanity has also seen the annihilation caused by atomic radiation and its effects during prenatal and post natal life. Few genetic changes has been reported by scientists in certain organism for this adaptability. However, a clear picture on the changed epigenetic factors or genetic modification as and when necessary with functional changes remains to be unfolded. Available molecular biological tools in modern biological science have unfolded number of chapters of genetic history of organism. However, deeper we go inside more to be find out on the organisms adaptability to nature in various conditions.
Hirendra Nath Sarma
Professor of Zoology, Rajiv Gandhi University
Arunachal Pradesh - 791 112, India
Phone : +91 94360 59038
Abstract: Sericulture mainly aims towards the production of high quality silk yarn from mulberry and non-mulberry silkworms. These insects belong to two different families of the order Lepidoptera, named as Bombycidae and Saturniidae as per host plants concern. Commercial production of silk is dependent primarily on three major steps: the cultivation of larval food plants, rearing of silkworms for cocoon formations and reeling processes for obtaining raw silkyarn.To perform all these activities successfully and profitably thus obtaining a number of organic wastes commonly known as seri-wastes. It is interesting to note that any kind of sericulture practising wastes can be a part of valuable utilisation in our life and for which additional income sources have been secured to the sericulture farmers, reelers and weavers too. It is well established that wastes generated during various steps in sericulture can also be recycled and reused appropriately. Mulberry sericulture is managed by rural populations whereas non-mulberry sericulture is easily handled by tribal communities. So, both the agro based productive bioresources will definitely inspire to build rural based industries in our country for better livelihood in these areas. This article thus provides detailed information about sources and utilities of seri-wastes and advancing future researchers to explore more useful products.
Keywords: Economic gains, Industry development, Sericulture, Seriwastes, Utilities
Abstract: A large number of plants have the potential to remediate polluted water. The phytoremediated water, if not considered too fit for drinking as per WHO standards, can be used for non-potable purposes such as watering of plants or washing. The primary concern in water used for irrigation, is its salinity level. Since salts in water can affect both the soil structure and crop yield, it is important to maintain a certain level of salts, an indicator of suitability of water for irrigation purposes. The present study was therefore undertaken at Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi to remediate sewage water generated at the college campus, for irrigation purposes using duckweed (Lemna sp), easily available in and around the study site. Duckweed was grown for two weeks in sewage, pond and tap water taken from Kirori Mal College site. The light and dark cycle with 6 hrs of natural sunlight was provided. After 15 days the water samples were tested for hardness, alkalinity, boron, Ca ²+ and Na+ concentration, Sodium Absorption Ratio (SAR), and Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC) at Shri Ram Institute of Industrial Research. The untreated samples served as control. The duckweed showed maximum growth in terms of harvested biomass in sewage water during the second week. The alkalinity in all samples showed a decrease with respect to their control. The preliminary studies have shown that sewage water can be phytoremediated for irrigation purposes using duckweed. The results are discussed in light of the literature available on phytoremediation by duckweed.
Keywords: Duckweed, Phytoremediation, Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC), Sewage water, Sodium Absorption Ratio (SAR), Total Salt Concentration (TSC)
Abstract: A study was undertaken to document the diversity of Rotifera in Ganga Lake, Itanagar as no such information was available. Plankton samples were collected quarterly during 2018-19 using a Nylobolt plankton net and Rotifera taxa were identified with the help of standard literature. The present study recorded 16 species of Rotifera belonging to 10 genera and 7 families from Ganga lake- the first ever detail study on Rotifera from any kind of biotopes in the Himalayan state of Arunachal Pradesh. The rotifer diversity of Ganga Lake is dominated by the tropic-centred family Brachionidae with 5 species under 4 genera. The Laurasian origin genera Trichocerca was found to be the most dominant genera with 5 species. This study also added 3 more taxa (Keratella quadrata, Trichocerca longiseta and Filinia terminalis) to the rotifer fauna of Arunachal Pradesh while confirming the occurrence of 9 earlier rotifer species.
Keywords: Biodiversity, Eastern Himalaya, Ganga Lake, New records, Rotifera
Abstract: A study was undertaken to document the diversity of Rotifera in Ganga Lake, Itanagar as no such information was available. Plankton samples were collected quarterly during 2018-19 using a Nylobolt plankton net and Rotifera taxa were identified with the help of standard literature. The present study recorded 16 species of Rotifera belonging to 10 genera and 7 families from Ganga lake- the first ever detail study on Rotifera from any kind of biotopes in the Himalayan state of Arunachal Pradesh. The rotifer diversity of Ganga Lake is dominated by the tropic-centred family Brachionidae with 5 species under 4 genera. The Laurasian origin genera Trichocerca was found to be the most dominant genera with 5 species. This study also added 3 more taxa (Keratella quadrata, Trichocerca longiseta and Filinia terminalis) to the rotifer fauna of Arunachal Pradesh while confirming the occurrence of 9 earlier rotifer species.
Keywords: Biodiversity, Eastern Himalaya, Ganga Lake, New records, Rotifera
Abstract: Bumblebees are one of the natural resources in the region that attracts nature lovers for their beautiful colour patterns as well as for their pollination behaviour. Therefore, to study the possibility of including bumblebees as a part of sustainable ecotourism, quantitative assessment of the bumblebees in Arunachal Pradesh was conducted. We monitored 5-10 transects of 25 × 1 minside each of 31 grid cells of ~ 6.3 × 6.3 km planned. The study recorded 13 species of bumblebees with the highest species richness in the western part of the state. The top three grid cells for bumblebee diversity in terms of Shannon and Simpson indices are located in alpine meadows. All of these locations are adjacent to tourist areas. This indicates the potential for western Arunachal Pradesh to include bumblebees for ecotourism. In addition, 19 species of forage plants of bumblebees belonging to 12 families were recorded from the region. Principal component analysis loading score shows that the density of bumblebees is positively associated with altitude > humidity > sunlight intensity and negatively associated with ambient temperature.
Keywords: Arunachal Pradesh, Bombus, Bumblebee, Ecotourism, Environmental factors, Forage plant, Species richness
Abstract: Myxomycetes have proven to be the potential source of secondary metabolites but due to smaller size of fruiting bodies extraction of sufficient quantity of bioactive compounds become difficult thus laboratory culture of these species is important. The present paper describes the agar cultivation of A. denudata on 1.5 water agar medium. The species being a potential source of secondary metabolites was cultivated in laboratory from spore to spore in 20 days. Moreover, out of known species of myxomycetes only 10% species have been cultured so far and from those 60% species falls in order Physarales. Arcyria denudata belonging to order Trichiales is one of the three species cultured so far in the genus and thus the present study is apparently the first report from Maharashtra India.
Keywords: agar, Alibag, Arcyria, cultivation, India, spore to spore
Abstract: This work includes a list of 42 species of butterflies, under 5 families, identified during a nine-month study in the places in and around Kakinada. Out of the 42 species identified, 27 species occur in the campus of P.R. Government College, Kakinada and the rest in the places around Kakinada. Along with the list of Butterfly species identified, their present conservation status according to IUCN is also mentioned. Various threats to butterflies, especially in the vicinity of the study area are discussed and their conservation measures are also suggested.
Keywords: Andhra Pradesh, Butterflies, Biodiversity, Conservation, Kakinada
