Conservation Biology
Dr Anilkumar C
Position: Head of Division, Principal Scientist
Mobile No: 9495729076
Email: canildepa@yahoo.co.in
Qualification: Ph.D. in Botany.
Specialization: Plant Conservation Biology and Seed Banking.
Personal Biography
Associating with JNTBGRI Seed Bank since 1987 for the cause of species management and proactive eco-restoration in supportive to plant conservation through population studies and reproductive biology in general. Investigated in-house seed-banking projects on provincial flora along with projects funded by KSCSTE, KFD, DST, MoEF&CC, DBT and BGCI. Contributed six Ph.D.s and continuing the academic pursuit as Research Guide to six more Ph.D. students. Participated in 72 conferences and published 67 research papers. Explored and studied plants to develop practical approaches to restore diversity and address threats with regard to the biota of the southern Western Ghats in general and Kerala in particular.
Projects & Selected Publications
Projects
- Conservation of Garcinia imbertii; an endangered endemic tree of Southern Western Ghats through studies on population structure and seed biology (Department of Science and Technology: Principal Investigator).
- BGCI field work project on seed collection (Principal Investigator).
- Conservation of seven RET medicinal plants of the Western Ghats through standardization of seed and seedling identification, germination, species restoration, seed and field gene banking (Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change: Principal Investigator).
- Population dynamics and agro-ecology of Trichopus zeylanicus Gaertn. ssp. travancoricus (Bedd.) Burkill ex Narayanan- Arogyapacha (Kerala Forest Department: Principal Investigator).
- Triparty action plan for the re-introduction of Red Data plants of Kerala (Kerala Forest Department: Principal Investigator).
Publications
- Anusha S, Anilkumar C, Gangaprasad A. (2023). Embryo maturation, dormancy and seed storage behaviour of Gymnacranthera canarica (King) Warb, a threatened endemic tree species of Southern Western Ghats, India. Current Botany. 14:1-9.
- Dhyani, A., Bindu, S., Abinlal, K. C., & Anilkumar, C. (2022). Reintroduction of Buchanania barberi, a critically endangered tree endemic to the south Western Ghats of Kerala, India. Plants, People, Planet, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10334.
- Chitra, C. R, Shareef, S. M, Hima, V S and Anilkumar, C. (2021). Seed study of Syzygium palodense (Myrtaceae), an endemic tree of the southern Western Ghats, India. Journal of Non-Timber Forest Products. 28(1):19-22. https://doi.org/10.54207/bsmps2000-2021-327MMA
- Bindu S and Anilkumar C. (2021). Viability and longevity of Antidesma montanum Blume seeds. International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews, 8 (2): 553-559.
- Anto M, Angala M, Jothish P S, Padmesh P, Anilkumar C. (2020). Population genetic structure of Garcinia imbertii Bourd. an endangered endemic tree of southern Western Ghats, India. Plant Science Today. 7(3):424-431. https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.2020.7.3.734.
Details of Students
Work: Gene flow system in Palaquium ellipticum (Dalz,) Baill. And Cassinekedarnathii Sasi. &Swarup. in the tropical forest ecosystem of Silent Valley, Kerala, India
Work: Carpology, Seed Storage and Germination of South Indian Rauvolfia species
Work: Physiological and biochemical studies on the seed biology of Saraca asoca (Roxb.) W.J.de Wilde.
Work: Seed Biology of Coscinium fenestratum (Gaertn.) Colebr.
Work: Conservation aspects of Syzygium travancoricum Bedd. – a critically endangered species with respect to other allied species of southern Western Ghats.
Work: Population structure and seed biology of Garcinia imberti Bourd. – an endemic endangered tree of the southern Western Ghats, Kerala.
Work: Regulation mechanism of seed germination in selected species of the genus Myristica Gronov. (Myristicaceae) in Kerala.
Work: Population dynamics and conservation studies on Trichopus zeylanicus Gaertn. subsp. travancoricus (Bedd.) Burkill ex K. Narayanan (Dioscoreaceae) – an ethnomedicinal plant of Southern Western Ghats.
Work: Seed physiological studies of Gymnacranthera canarica (King) Warb., an endemic and endangered tree species of southern Western Ghats.
Work: Seed physiological studies of Bentinckia condapanna Berry ex Roxb., a rare endemic tree palm of southern Western Ghats.
Work: A study on ecology, conservation and utilization of Diospyros crumenata Thw. in Kerala- an endangered tree of Western Ghats.
Work: Conservation strategies and screening of bioactive molecules in Connarus wightiiHook.f. (Connaraceae), an endemic species of Western Ghats.
In-house Project Staff
Work: Studies on conservation biological aspects of selected flowering plants of Kerala
Scheme A- Seed biology of selected flowering plants and maintenance of seed bank
External Project Staff
Work: Nutritional analysis and development of nutraceuticals/ food supplements based on ‘Arogyapacha’ (Trichopus zeylanicus subsp. travancoricus Burkill ex K. Narayanan): an ethnomedicaly important plant.
Work: Triparty action plan for the re-introduction of Red Data plants of Kerala.