Himachal Newsline
Tuesday, March 28, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Himachal Pradesh News
  • India
    • National
    • State News
  • World
  • Business
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
    • Health & Fitness
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Travel
    • Food
    • Photography
  • Tech
    • App News
  • Auto
  • Others
    • Sports
    • Agriculture
    • Science
    • Astrology
    • Finance/Money
    • Press Release
    • Social Work
    • Religion
Himachal Newsline
No Result
View All Result

Scientists discover new species of African Violet plant in Mizoram

Himachal Newsline Desk by Himachal Newsline Desk
May 25, 2021
in Science
0 0
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

New Delhi: Researchers at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal have discovered a new species of plant belonging to the African Violets family in Mizoram and adjacent areas in Myanmar. This study shows that the biodiversity of the northeastern parts of India is understudied and there are many species of plants that remain undiscovered, say researchers.

Didymocarpus is a genus belonging to the plant family Gesneriaceae (commonly known as ‘African Violets’) and its members are distributed from Western Himalayas to Sumatra. Most of these species are narrow endemics and require specialized habitats to survive, thus acting as an indicator of pristine habitats. There are 106 currently known species of this genus, of which 26 are present in Northeastern states of India.

RelatedPosts

Young Scientist R. Vishnu Prassad from Chennai conferred Times Award

Young Scientist R. Vishnu Prassad from Chennai conferred Times Award

July 4, 2022

CSIR-IICT establishes new pilot plant facility

December 29, 2021

The newly-described species Didymocarpus vickifunkiae (Gesneriaceae) is currently known from only three locations in Mizoram and considered as an endangered species. It is an epiphyte (plants that grow on trees) and produces light pink flowers during the monsoons. The species is named in honour of Late Dr. Vicki Ann Funk, a renowned Botanist who worked at Smithsonian Institute, USA.

The study is an outcome of extensive fieldwork across northeast India coupled with rigorous study of past collections kept in herbariums across the world, say IISER Bhopal statement. This study has been published in Systematic Botany journal in a paper co-authored by Prasanna N.S., Research Scholar, and Dr. Vinita Gowda, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, IISER Bhopal.

“Northeast India is home to highly diverse flora because of its unique biogeographic placement as part of two biodiversity hotspots: the Indo-Burma hotspot and the Eastern Himalayas, said Dr. Vinita Gowda.”

Scientists discover new species of African Violet plant in Mizoram
Discovered plant species

The new discovery brings new insights into the unique evolutionary trajectory of flora in this region of India. Beyond the academic desire to document biodiversity, finding the ‘missing pieces’ of the biodiversity puzzle are important in designing conservation approaches to protect the fragile ecosystem of such hotspots, say researchers.

Because of its complex geology and climatic conditions, Northeast India, is home to a diverse flora and fauna. However, much of it remains poorly documented. The IISER Bhopal team was studying the evolution and biogeography of Didymocarpus plants. While collecting the plants for study, authors stumbled upon a plant which was distinct from all botanically known plants. After critical examination of the morphology, published literature and past collections that are preserved in the natural history museums in India and UK, they described it as a new species.

The biodiversity in this region of the country is poorly known due to low priority in research, inaccessibility and remoteness, challenges that are being tackled by research groups such as the Tropical Ecology & Evolution (TrEE) lab. The team combines traditional processes of taxonomy with modern methods such as molecular phylogenetics to unravel the biodiversity of the Northeast and place it in the context of the larger Asian landscape.  (India Science Wire)

Tags: African Violets familybiodiversityDidymocarpus vickifunkiaeEndangered speciesEpiphyteGesneriaceaeIISER BhopalIndian Institute of Science Education and ResearchNew speciesNortheastern regionPlant speciesWestern Himalayas
Previous Post

IIT Delhi to create new centre to boost research in optics and photonics

Next Post

Indian Scientists theory gives better knowledge on the space around Earth

Himachal Newsline Desk

Himachal Newsline Desk

Related Posts

Young Scientist R. Vishnu Prassad from Chennai conferred Times Award
Science

Young Scientist R. Vishnu Prassad from Chennai conferred Times Award

July 4, 2022
Science

CSIR-IICT establishes new pilot plant facility

December 29, 2021
Science

Science Minister recalls role of scientists in freedom movement

December 2, 2021
Science

Study gains new insights into Alzheimer’s

November 26, 2021
Science

Blood-based biomarkers for brain tumours identified

November 22, 2021
Auto

A new protocol to address security and privacy issues in electric vehicles

October 27, 2021
Next Post

Indian Scientists theory gives better knowledge on the space around Earth

Global Alliance of Numerologists (GLAON) to organize special webinar on May 31, 2021

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • Child Help Foundation Organized Activities and Campaigns for the Upliftment of women on International Women’s Day March 27, 2023
  • Sakif Shamim Person of the Year March 27, 2023
  • “The beautiful mosque, built by The IB Group, will be known as Azeez Masjid” March 27, 2023
  • SATHYAPRIYA MANIAN: Empowering Individuals and Changing Lives with a Holistic Approach March 27, 2023
  • Anupam V Joshi of WAE Limited bags “The Most Promising Business Leaders of Asia” award March 24, 2023

Categories

  • Agriculture (11)
  • App News (13)
  • Astrology (3)
  • Auto (15)
  • Business (442)
  • Education (100)
  • Entertainment (157)
  • Fashion & Beauty (33)
  • Finance/Money (25)
  • Food (17)
  • Himachal Pradesh News (1)
  • India (2)
  • Lifestyle (428)
    • Health & Fitness (168)
    • Photography (5)
    • Travel (24)
  • National (119)
  • Politics (3)
  • Press Release (5)
  • Religion (6)
  • Science (94)
  • Social Work (33)
  • Sports (38)
  • State News (69)
  • Tech (61)
  • World (10)

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • App News
  • Astrology
  • Auto
  • Business
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Finance/Money
  • Food
  • Health & Fitness
  • Himachal Pradesh News
  • India
  • Lifestyle
  • National
  • Photography
  • Politics
  • Press Release
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Social Work
  • Sports
  • State News
  • Tech
  • Travel
  • World

Recent News

  • Child Help Foundation Organized Activities and Campaigns for the Upliftment of women on International Women’s Day
  • Sakif Shamim Person of the Year
  • “The beautiful mosque, built by The IB Group, will be known as Azeez Masjid”
  • SATHYAPRIYA MANIAN: Empowering Individuals and Changing Lives with a Holistic Approach
  • Anupam V Joshi of WAE Limited bags “The Most Promising Business Leaders of Asia” award
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • DMCA
  • Follow on Google News

© 2022 Himachal Newsline

No Result
View All Result
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • DMCA
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022 Himachal Newsline

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In