Irfan Rashid - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Irfan Rashid

Nature Ecology & Evolution

High-elevation ecosystems are among the few ecosystems worldwide that are not yet heavily invaded... more 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. Starting in 2007, we conducted repeated surveys of non-native plant distributions along mountain roads in 11 regions from 5 continents. We show that over a 5- to 10-year period, the number of non-native species increased on average by approximately 16% per decade across regions. The direction and magnitude of upper range limit shifts depended on elevation across all regions. Supported by a null-model approach accounting for range changes expected by chance alone, we found greater than expected upward shifts at lower/mid elevations in at least seven regions. After accounting for elevation dependence, significant ...

Scientific Reports

Over the past few decades, many countries have attempted to carry out forest landscape restoratio... more 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. To overcome this challenge, we identified two promising ectomycorrhizal species, namely Clitocybe nuda and Cortinarius distans, for their use in ectomycorrhization of seedlings of three common conifers, namely Abies pindrow, Cedrus deodara, and Picea smithiana. Laboratory studies were carried out to investigate the requirements for optimum mycelial growth of these ectomycorrhizal fungi. Best ECM mycelial growth was obtained in the basic MMN medium containing glucose as the source of carbon and nitrogen in ammonium fo...

Microbiota and Biofertilizers, 2020

Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi play a crucial role in nutrient mobilization and cycling, particularl... more Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi play a crucial role in nutrient mobilization and cycling, particularly in temperate forests dominated by coniferous species. The belowground ectomycorrhizal Wood Wide Web interconnects innumerable host plants and serves as a sustainable continuum for plant and soil health in forest ecosystems. Conifers, particularly conifer roots harbouring ectomycorrhizal fungi, are rich in phenolics and other secondary metabolites, which interfere and hamper their DNA extraction and inhibit all downstream processes like amplification and sequencing. The present study was projected for presenting the standardized molecular methodology for characterization of ectomycorrhizal fungi from conifer roots, starting from extraction of high-quality DNA and its PCR amplification, followed by DNA purification and loading, to final sequencing, all things reflected in a chronological manner. This chapter highlights the role of root-associated ectomycorrhizal fungi as biofertilizers in forest ecosystems and efficient molecular methods specially optimized for characterization of ectomycorrhizal fungi associated with conifers.

Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 2018

An important factor in the performance of out-planted conifers is the association of plant roots ... more An important factor in the performance of out-planted conifers is the association of plant roots with ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi. However, limited information is available about the diversity of root-associated EcM fungi of Pinus wallichiana A.B. Jackson, a coniferous species endemic to Himalayan forests that has hampered the reforestation programs in the area. The study was carried at three major forest areas of the Kashmir Himalaya believed to be pure stands of P. wallichiana. Fine root tips harbouring EcM fungi were collected and processed for extraction of fungal DNA, which was subsequently subjected to ITS rDNA targeted PCR–RFLP profiling. DNA sequencing analysis of the overlapping ITS amplifications followed by global nucleotide BLAST analyses of the assembled nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) revealed a total of 33 fungal taxa associated with P. wallichiana of which 23 species were EcM fungi. Of the 10 non-EcM fungi, we found a peculiar saprophytic wood decaying fungus, Chalara m...

Climate change and other global change drivers threaten plant diversity in mountains worldwide. A... more Climate change and other global change drivers threaten plant diversity in mountains worldwide. A widely documented response to such environmental modifications is for plant species to change their elevational ranges. Range shifts are often idiosyncratic and difficult to generalize, partly due to variation in sampling methods. There is thus a need for a standardized monitoring strategy that can be applied across mountain regions to assess distribution changes and community turnover of native and non-native plant species over space and time. Here, we present a conceptually intuitive and standardized protocol developed by the Mountain Invasion Research Network (MIREN) to systematically quantify global patterns of native and non-native species distributions along elevation gradients and shifts arising from interactive effects of climate change and human disturbance. Usually repeated every five years, surveys consist of 20 sample sites located at equal elevation increments along three r...

Background: Within biodiversity hotspots, forest habitats have been disproportionately reduced an... more Background: Within biodiversity hotspots, forest habitats have been disproportionately reduced and conservation efforts are insufficient, making restoration ventures extremely important. However, the impacts of restoration efforts on native threatened understory biodiversity residing in forest gaps and open edges have been seldom investigated. The current study attempts to fill this knowledge gap by investigating the ecology of a critically endangered understory plant namely Gentiana kurroo, across different successional stages of forest plantations including, open grassland (OG), 3-5-year-old plantation (YP), 5-15-year-old plantation (OP) and a mature forest (MF).Results: The highest population of the species was observed in OG, followed by YP, OP and MF. The regeneration was blocked by the plantation as evidenced by a ‘poor’ status in MF and OP, ‘fair’ at the YP and was ‘good’ only at OG. With an increase in canopy openness, the number of regenerating individuals increased, indica...

Bioremediation and Biotechnology, Vol 4, 2020

Metals with comparatively higher density, atomic number, or atomic weight are characterized as he... more Metals with comparatively higher density, atomic number, or atomic weight are characterized as heavy metals. Examples encompass aluminum (Al), antimony (Sb), arsenic (As), beryllium (Be), cadmium (Cd), caesium (Cs), calcium (Ca), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), gold (Au), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), mercury (Hg), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), potassium (K), rubidium (Rb), selenium (Se), silver (Ag), strontium (Sr), tin (Sn), titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), uranium (U), vanadium (V), and zinc (Zn). In biological science, metals that exert toxic effects on biological systems upon crossing a certain threshold concentration are labeled as heavy metals (Mishra et al. 2019). Generally, metals can be classified as essential metals and non-essential metals. Calcium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, nickel, potassium, selenium, sodium, vanadium, and zinc are some essential metals that serve as micronutrients and play important roles in vital life processes (Kumar et al. 2019). On the other hand, non-essential metals like aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, gold, lead, mercury, selenium, and silver have no biological role and are toxic to living organisms (Hrynkiewicz and Baum 2014). However, metals that are essential for plant growth at low concentrations exert toxic effects at higher concentrations due to their high chemical reactivity (Leyval and Joner 2001; Amir et al. 2014).

In the face of ongoing and projected precipitation changes, precipitation manipulation experiment... more In the face of ongoing and projected precipitation changes, precipitation manipulation experiments (PMEs) have produced a wealth of data about the effects of precipitation changes on soils. In response, researchers have undertaken a number of synthetic efforts. Several meta-analyses have been conducted, each revealing new aspects of soil responses to precipitation changes. We synthesize the findings of 16 meta-analyses focused on the effects of decreased and increased precipitation on 42 soil response variables, covering a wide range of soil processes and examining responses of individual variables as well as more integrative responses of carbon and nitrogen cycles. We found a strong agreement among metaanalyses that decreased and increased precipitation inhibits and promotes belowground carbon and nitrogen cycling, respectively, while microbial communities are relatively resistant to precipitation changes. Much attention has been paid to fluxes and pools in carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles, such as gas emissions, soil carbon, soil phosphorus, extractable nitrogen ions, and biomass, but the rates of processes underlying these variables are less frequently covered in meta-analytic studies (e.g., rates of mineralization, fixation, and de/nitrification). Shifting scientific attention to these "processes" would, therefore, deepen the current understanding of the effects of precipitation changes on soil and provide new insights. By comparing meta-analyses focused on different variables, we provide here a quantitative and holistic view of soil responses to changes in precipitation. 1 Introduction Soil is an important component of terrestrial ecosystems through which carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other elements cycle. Biological processes in soils, such as those driven by plant roots, microbes, and enzymes, regulate nutrient cycling, with direct impacts on aboveground plant and animal communities (Bardgett et al., 2008). Rates of biological activity in soils are largely determined by physical parameters, one of the most influential being soil moisture (Stark and Firestone,

Scientific Reports, 2019

in an era of climate change, biological invasions by alien species represent one of the main anth... more in an era of climate change, biological invasions by alien species represent one of the main anthropogenic drivers of global environmental change. the present study, using an ensemble modelling approach, has mapped current and future global distribution of the invasive Leucanthemum vulgare (ox-eye Daisy) and predicted the invasion hotspots under climate change. the current potential distribution of ox-eye Daisy coincides well with the actual distribution records, thereby indicating robustness of our model. the model predicted a global increase in the suitable habitat for the potential invasion of this species under climate change. oceania was shown to be the high-risk region to the potential invasion of this species under both current and future climate change scenarios. the results revealed niche conservatism for Australia and northern America, but contrastingly a niche shift for Africa, Asia, oceania and Southern America. the global distribution modelling and risk assessment of ox-eye Daisy has immediate implications in mitigating its invasion impacts under climate change, as well as predicting the global invasion hotspots and developing region-specific invasion management strategies. interestingly, the contrasting patterns of niche dynamics shown by this invasive plant species provide novel insights towards disentangling the different operative mechanisms underlying the process of biological invasions at the global scale.

Phytoremediation, 2016

In view of growing pollution of water, the innovative alternatives to sustainable maintenance of ... more In view of growing pollution of water, the innovative alternatives to sustainable maintenance of water quality are of pivotal importance. One such alternative is the use of constructed wetlands over past few decades. Constructed wetlands are engineered systems that tend to put to use the natural wetland processes of wetlands and its different components, such as macrophytes, sediments, and water for the treatment of wastewaters. While the use of constructed wetlands in wastewater treatment and water quality improvement is relatively common in the developed world, this practice is still far from being exploited to its potential in the context of developing countries. The purpose of this chapter is to highlight the importance of the constructed wetlands especially in the context of growing pollution in developing nations, in general, and Kashmir Himalayan region of India, in particular, for remediation of heavy metals. Using some case studies that have explicated the role of wetland macrophytes in remediation of in the Kashmir Himalaya, we stress upon proper identification and use of suitable hyperaccumulators for removal and sequestration of heavy metals. The gaps that exist in our knowledge about constructed wetlands and their use in remediation are pointed out and a framework to overcome these gaps is briefly discussed.

African Journal of Microbiology Research, 2012

Amongst many novel interactions that alien plants forge with their new associates in the introduc... more Amongst many novel interactions that alien plants forge with their new associates in the introduced range, the role of Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) mutualism and herbivory has been hitherto studied separately. Since these associations operate concurrently in nature to influence plant performance, we attempted to investigate their interactive effect on invasiveness of Mayweed Chamomile (Anthemis cotula L.), a highly invasive species in the Kashmir Himalaya, India. Survey of some field populations of A. cotula in native (European) and introduced (Kashmir Himalayan) regions revealed high incidence of phytophagous parasites on the species in native range, in contrast to almost enemy-free populations in the introduced range. However, occasional association of an aphid herbivore with some individuals of A. cotula in the introduced range was found to have positive influence on traits contributing to invasiveness of the species. We subsequently established a pot experiment in which A. cotula was grown with and without mycorrhizas and herbivores, both in isolation and combination. Results revealed that mycorrhizal inoculation and herbivory, both in isolation and in combination, influenced significantly growth and fitness, hence invasiveness, of A. cotula. While our simple study point towards likely synergistic influence of below-and above-ground interactions on plant invasiveness, we stress for the need of comprehensive multifactor interaction analysis while dealing with plant invasions.

Journal of Applied Ecology, 2021

1. The significant portion of global terrestrial biodiversity harboured in the mountains is under... more 1. The significant portion of global terrestrial biodiversity harboured in the mountains is under increasing threat from various anthropogenic impacts. Protecting fragile mountain ecosystems requires understanding how these human disturbances affect biodiversity. As roads and railways are extended further into mountain ecosystems, understanding the long-term impacts of this infrastructure on community composition and diversity gains urgency. 2. We used railway corridors constructed across the mountainous landscapes of the Kashmir Himalaya from 1994 to 2013 to study the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on species distributions and community dynamics. In 2014 and 2017, we collected vegetation data along 31 T-shaped transects laid perpendicular to the railway line, adopting the MIREN (Mountain Invasion Research Network) road survey methodology. 3. Plant communities shifted significantly from 2014 to 2017, potentially because of an ongoing species redistribution after railway construction, driven mainly by declines in both native and non-native species richness, and an increasing abundance of a few non-native species, especially in areas away from the railway track. 4. These patterns indicate an advancing succession, where initially-rare-pioneer species are replaced by increasingly dominant and often non-native competitors, and potentially suggest a trend towards delayed local extinctions after the disturbance event. Native and non-native species richness was negatively correlated with elevation, but that relationship diminished over time, with the abundance of non-natives significantly increasing at higher elevations. 5. Synthesis and applications. Transport corridors seem to facilitate the spread of nonnative species to higher elevations, which has serious implications considering the warming mountain tops. Our results indicate that the plant communities next to railways do not reach equilibrium quickly after a disturbance. More than 10 years after railway establishment within Kashmir Himalaya, succession continued, and signs pointed towards a landscape increasingly dominated by non-native species. Our study indicates that the single disturbance event associated with constructing

Biological invasions are considered a massive threat to native biodiversity engulfing both terres... more Biological invasions are considered a massive threat to native biodiversity engulfing both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems worldwide while having cascading ecological and economic effects on the invaded regions. Kashmir Himalaya, an important constituent of the biodiversity hotspot, is heavily invaded by invasive alien plants. An inventory of species diversity of invasive plants and native insect herbivores was carried out in different terrestrial habitats of Kashmir Himalaya in the years 2018-19 and 2019-20. The results showed maximum value (3.39) of Shannon’s diversity index at district Kupwara with minimum value (2.967) at district Srinagar. Margalef Index attained maximum value (5.966) at district Bandipora and a minimum value (4.724) at district Srinagar. Our data revealed maximum value of evenness (0.732) in district Baramulla with minimum value (0.650) at district Pulwama. Similarly, district Baramulla of North Kashmir showed highest Simpson value (0.957) while district Sr...

Symphyotrichum subulatum (Michx.) G.L.Nesom (Asteraceae) is reported as a new alien plant record ... more Symphyotrichum subulatum (Michx.) G.L.Nesom (Asteraceae) is reported as a new alien plant record for Kashmir Himalaya. The taxonomic identification of species is confirmed on the basis of shape of involucre, floral and seed characters. Detailed description, distribution map, and comments on distribution and ecology are also provided along with photographic illustration to facilitate easy identification of this species.

Scientific Reports, 2021

Habitat loss due to climate change may cause the extinction of the clonal species with a limited ... more 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. Eight polymorphic microsatellite markers were used to study the allelic/genetic diversity and population structure. In addition, ITS1–ITS4 Sanger sequencing was used for phylogeny and SNP detection. A total number of 73 alleles were scored for 37 genotypes at 17 loci for 8 SSRs markers. The population structural analysis using the SSR marker data led to identifying two sub-populations in our collection of 37 S. wightiana genotypes, with 11 genotypes having mixed ancestry. The I...

Frontiers in Plant Science, 2019

Check List, 2016

Bromuscatharticus Vahl, a grass species native to South America, is newly reported here to the fl... more Bromuscatharticus Vahl, a grass species native to South America, is newly reported here to the flora of Kashmir Himalaya, India. A detailed description and photographs of diagnostic features are provided to distinguish B. catharticus from allied species and authenticate this new record from this region.

Journal of Mountain Science, 2015