Browsing by Subject "Diversity"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5

Open Access
Diversity and micropropagation of canna from West Bengal and Orissa
(University of North Bengal, 2014-01) Mishra, Tanmayee; Sen, Arnab
Open Access
Ethno mycological study of wild edible mushrooms of Jammu and Kashmir
(University of North Bengal, 2013-03) Kumar, S.; Sharma, Y.P.
The state of Jammu and Kashmir has the largest concentration of forest dwellers, comprising of about one-fourth of the population of the state. Several tribes and villagers subsist largely on non-traditional and wild food sources especially wild edible mushrooms. Limited information, however, is known about ethno mycology of macrofungi in India, in general, and Jammu and Kashmir, in particular. Therefore, ethnomycological survey was carried out in various locations of Jammu and Kashmir state in order to develop a database on mushroom diversity and their traditional uses. In this study, forty four wild mushrooms which are actually consumed in the state and are distributed in twenty genera have been recorded to have various potentialities. These include Agaricus spp., Boletus spp., Clavaria sp., Clavulina spp., Coprinus spp., Geopora spp., Gyromitra spp., Helvella spp., Macrolepiota sp., Morchella spp., Otidea leporina, Peziza spp., Pleurotus spp., Ramaria spp., Rhizopogon spp., Russula sp., Sepultaria spp., Sparassis spp., Termitomyces spp. and Verpa sp.. Their descriptive vocabulary and folk taxonomy, edibility status, traditional drying and preservation, culinary potential, common beliefs and traditions etc. have been highlighted in this paper. Overall, richness of ethno-mycological information gathered indicates that the Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir represents a mycophilic region where edible mushrooms play an important role in the socio-economic activities of the local populace.
Open Access
Evaluation of traditional rice germplasms for alluvial zone of West Bengal-a review
(University of North Bengal, 2012-03) Chakravorty, Ashim; Ghosh, P.D.
Fitty one promising landraces of rice cultivars of three districts viz. Nadia, 24 Parganas(N) and Murshidabad of West Bengal were taken for characterization, estimation of genetic variability, genetic diversity and intermelation among them based on forty six agromorphological characters. The field eperiment was caried out at the Zonal Adaptive Research Station, Krishnagar, Nadia, West Bengal during Kharif scason of three consecutive years of 2006, 2007 and 2008. The land is mainly gangetic allavium plain with neutral pH (pH-6), low availability of nitrogen and phosphate and potash content. Obscrvations of various qualitative and quantitative traits were recorded at the different stages of growth. Distinctiveness. Uniformity and Stability (DUS) test was done on twenty eight qualitative traits following the National test guidelines, supplied by Rice Research Institute, Rajendarnagar, Hyderabad. Mean, standand eor of mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation were calculated for each quantitative rait to evplore the variability, if any, among the cultivars (Singh and Choudhury, 1977). Genotypic corelations were. in general, higher than the phenotypic correlations and thus suggested that the observed relations among the characters were due to genetic factors. Genetic divergence was assessed among 51 landrace genotypes which were grouped into eleven clusters. Cluster mean was done and the characters which contributed maximum towards genetic divergence among the genotypes were culm diameter>culm lengthgrain length>Plant height (seedling)>sterile lemma length>grain length/breadth ratio>ligule length> flag leaf angle>culm number in the descending order.
Open Access
Harman’s Moral Relativism: A Critical Reflection
(University of North Bengal, 2025) Rajak, Nibita
The main contention of this paper is to show, how Gilbert Harman expresses his thoughts about the idea of moral relativism and also to explore the plausible responses that challenge his notion that moral judgments are relative and dependent on individual or cultural perspectives. Harman was a strong and influential defender of moral relativism and he was a leading voice in supporting and promoting this view, as well as his work had a substantial impact on the field of ethics and morality. Harman’s relativism is characterized by its logical consistency, and as such, it requires careful consideration. Individuals hold diverse moral perspectives and principles. This diversity of moral opinions has led many to question whether there are any objective moral standards that apply to everyone. Many people disagree on moral issues, even within their own culture, especially across different cultures. Some people think this disagreement means there is no one “right” answer, and no universal moral truth that applies to everyone. Instead, they believe that moral beliefs are personal and vary from culture to culture, like a matter of taste. This paper intends to defend Harman’s perspective on moral relativism and also to highlight the complexities and challenges inherent in this viewpoint.
Open Access
Limnochemistry, diversity of plankton and ichthyofauna of some rivers of the Dooars region, West Bengal
(University of North Bengal, 2022) Sarkar Tapan; Pal Joydeb
The present study, entitled “Limnochemistry, diversity of plankton and ichthyofauna of some rivers of the Dooars region, West Bengal”, was conducted for a period of two years from March 2014 to February 2016. Three rivers, such as the Teesta, Jaldhaka, and Torsa, and two sites for each river, were selected for study. The study was conducted in three sections, such as physico-chemical parameters of river water, plankton diversity, and ichthyofaunal diversity. Temperature, pH, TS, TDS, TSS, DO, free CO2, chloride, TA, and TH were determined by standard methods. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient matrix, two-way ANOVA among seasons and sites, and one-way ANOVA between the two years were calculated using SPSS 16.0 and PAST 3.0 software. PCA was done by PAST 3.0 software. The air temperature, water temperature, depth of water, pH, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solid, total suspended solid, total solid, total alkalinity, total hardness and chloride showed seasonal variation in the three investigated rivers. The water temperature, pH, TDS, TSS, TS, total alkalinity, total hardness, and chloride did not show any significant differences among the six sites of the three investigated rivers, but the depth of water, DO, and FC showed significant differences among the six sites. Water temperature is the most important parameter that controls other physico-chemical parameters of water. The pH, electrical conductivity, DO, TA, and TH of the three investigated rivers are within the optimum range, making them suitable for fish and other organisms. The DO and FC of the three investigated rivers indicate the good quality of water. Total alkalinity and total hardness indicate that the water of the three investigated rivers is soft in nature. The PCA concentrates variances of the original data of physico-chemical parameters into two principal components (PC1 and PC2) in the case of rivers Jaldhaka and Torsa and three principal components (PC1, PC2 and PC3) in the case of the river Teesta. PC1 represents more physical and less chemical, while PC2 represents more chemical and less physical. WT, TDS, TH, and TA are the most influential factors. A total of 24, 26, and 25 genera of phytoplankton belonging to five groups were recorded during the study period from the rivers Teesta, Jaldhaka, and Torsa, respectively. A total of 28 genera of phytoplankton were recorded from the three investigated rivers. Chlorophyceae was the most dominant group in all the three rivers. Phytoplankton density, numbers of phytoplankton genera, Shannon-Wiener diversity index, and Margalef’s species richness index are positively correlated with pH, TDS, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, total alkalinity, total hardness, and chloride but negatively correlated with air temperature, water temperature, depth of water, TSS, and free CO2. Similar relations have been suggested by PCA. A total of 17, 16, and 16 genera of zooplankton were obtained from the rivers Teesta, Jaldhaka, and Torsa, made up of protozoa, rotifera, cladocera, and copepoda. A total of 18 genera of zooplankton were recorded from the three investigated rivers. The density, number of genera, Shanon diversity index, and Margalef’s richness index of phytoplankton and zooplankton also showed seasonal variation in the three investigated rivers. The density and number of phytoplankton and zooplankton genera, Shannon-Wiener diversity index, and Margalef’s species richness index are positively correlated with pH, TDS, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, total alkalinity, total hardness, and chloride but inversely correlated with air temperature, water temperature, depth of water, TSS, free CO2. Similar relations have been suggested by PCA. The density, number of genera, diversity index, and Margalef’s species richness index of phytoplankton and zooplankton are positively influenced by PC2, meaning affected by the chemical properties of water such as DO, TDS, TA, TH, and CL. The number of genera, diversity index, and Margalef’s species richness index of phytoplankton and zooplankton are negatively influenced by PC1. They are also negatively affected by the physical properties of water such as water temperature, TSS, TS, and free carbon dioxide. PCA biplots confirmed that phytoplankton and zooplankton density and/or number were the most influential factors which influenced the diversity indices. A total of 147 fish species of ichthyoauna with remarkable variations in Teesta (140 species), Jaldhaka (119 species) and Torsa (131 species) were recorded. A total of 147 species belonging to 11 orders and 31 families were recorded over the study period from the three rivers. Out of 147 recorded species, 1 is Critically Endangered (0.68%), 20 (13.60%) are Endangered (EN) and 42 (28.57%) are Vulnerable (VU) (according to CAMP-NBFGR). But according to IUCN conservation status, 2 (1.36%) species are Endangered (EN) and 1 (0.68%) species is Vulnerable (VU). Out of 147 recorded species, 1 (0.68%) is Critically Endangered, 12 (8.16%) species are Endangered (EN), 23 (15.6%) species are Vulnerable (VU) and 33 (22.45%) species are near threatened (NT) (according to Barman). Of the total of fish species, only 10.20% (15 species) are endemic fish species recorded from the three rivers. Two endemic fish species are found only in North Bengal. CPUE, number of ichthyofauna genera, Shanon diversity index, and Margalef’s species richness index of ichthyofauna showed seasonal variation in the three investigated rivers. CPUE, density, Shannon-Wiener diversity index, and Margalef’s species richness index exhibited significant and positive correlation with air temperature, water temperature, depth of water, TSS, TS, and free carbon dioxide but a significant and negative correlation with TDS, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, total alkalinity, total hardness, and chloride. Similar relations have been suggested by PCA. CPUE, NF, and DVF are influenced by PC1, meaning more physical parameters such as water temperature and depth of water, but negatively influenced by DO, TDS, TA, TH, and CL. PCA biplots revealed that CPUE and the number of fish genera were the most influential factors that influenced diversity indices. Use of fine mesh size nets for fishing; river bed as an agricultural field; disposal of municipal waste; river embankment; presence of invasive fish species; mining of sand, gravel, and boulders from riverbed flood etc. are all threats to fish diversity.