Bioluminescent BioReporter for tackling environmental Challenges

  Bioluminescent  BioReporters for  Enviromental Monitoring 

 

Bioreporters are genetically engineered living microbial cell, which produce measurable signals in response to the changes in the environment. The main principle is based on the detection of light emitted by the genetically modified organism. A physical or chemical change in the surrounding leads to the activation of the genes that code for the protein and generate signals, which indicate the bioreporter, has sensed a particular change in the environment.

The potential applications of bioreporters are in monitoring the environmental problems like pollution and biochip development for predicting the natural disasters. If pollutants are present in the atmosphere, the signal indicates the level of pollution. The other proposed application of bioreporters are in monitoring the water availability of the plants and   glowing trees in road highways to save the energy and in detecting the contamination in water.

To conclude, bioreporter technology is evolving as a emerging technology to provide the  intense application in all tha areas of science. 

< image courtesy :http://browseyard.com/collegeessay/biotechnology-how-it-can-affect-our-daily-life/> 

Ecological footprint

Ecological footprint

The ecological footprint is a measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystems. It is a standardized measure of demand for natural capital that may be contrasted with the planet's ecological capacity to regenerate.  It represents the amount of biologically productive land and sea area necessary to supply the resources a human population consumes, and to assimilate associated waste. Using this assessment, it is possible to estimate how much of the Earth (or how many planet Earths) it would take to support humanity if everybody followed a given lifestyle. For 2007, humanity's total ecological footprint was estimated at 1.5 planet Earths; that is, humanity uses ecological services 1.5 times as quickly as Earth can renew them.  Every year, this number is recalculated to incorporate the three-year lag due to the time it takes for the UN to collect and publish statistics and relevant research.

Although the term ecological footprint is widely used and well known , the methods used to calculate it vary greatly. However, standards are now emerging to make results more comparable and consistent.

Biodiversity Databases

Biodiversity databases are the databases which store information on the biodiversity of a particular area or group of living organisms.

These databases contain information on the three level of biodiversity i.e. Species diversity, ecosystem diversity and genetic diversity. Specimen-specific databases contain data about individual specimens, that are preserved in various museums and laboratories around the world. specimens, collections of specimen photographs, data on field-based specimen observations and morphological or genetic data.

Browser view of Integrated Taxonomic Information System(ITIS)

Browser view of Global Biodiversity Information Facility(GBIF)

Biodiversity databases are being created for record, research to be used by scientists, conservation managers, policy makers, government and non-profit organizations.

Some of the well known biodiversity databases are:

·   Global Biodiversity and Information Facilty (GBIF)- World’s largest database on biodiversity of earth

·    Integrated Taxonomic Information System-information on all taxa of interest to North America

·    NatureServe-plants, animals, and ecosystems of the United States and Canada

·    CITES species database-all species ever listed in CITES Appendices I, II or III

IITM-K Team participates in the International Conference on Applied Geoinformatics for Society and Environment (AGSE) 2012

 

Dr. R. Jaishanker, Associate Professor, Ecological Informatics and Mr. Sooraj. N.P, Project Associate, Ecological Informatics participated in the International Conference on Applied Geoinformatics for Society and Environment (AGSE) 2012, held on July 16-20, 2012 at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Johor Bharu, Malaysia.

UNESCO Appreciation for Ecological Informatics at IIITM-K

                       

Mr. Shigeru Aoyagi , Director UNESCO Cluster Office for S. Asia and Representative to Bhutan, Maldives, India and Sri Lanka, has placed on record, UNESCO’s appreciation to the pioneering academic initiative of Ecological Informatics at the Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management – Kerala (IIITM-K). This was conveyed to Shri. P.K. Kunhalikutty, the Honourable Minister for Information Technology, Government of Kerala, at a formal function held in the Minister’s Chamber on 21 June 2012. The first academic exercise in Ecological Informatics in South Asia was initiated at IIITM-K in 2007.

IIITM-K Summer school on EI

IIITM-K Summer School On Environmental Informatics

 Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management -Kerala conducted a Summer School on Environmental Informatics from 9-13 April 2012.The participants are provided an occasion for training in the different facets of the interdisciplinary subject and is targeted at  postgraduate,doctoral,postdoctoral researchers and working professionals in the field of ecology,environmental science and allied disciplines.

An expert on Geo spatial applications, prof.franz Josef Brhr from Germany made presentations on Geo spatial Web Technologies and Standards for Environmental scientists. Fifteen participants from different states of India are got trained in multiple facets of the discipline like environmental modelling,quantitative ecology,statistical ecology and  Geo spatial informatics.

The name of speakers and participants are,

Speakers

Dr.R.Jaishanker
Prof.G.Gopikkuttan
Dr.Sajini.B.Nair
Dr.C.S.P.Iyer
Prof.M.S.Pillai
Prof.S.Indulal
Dr.Franz Josef Behr
Dr.C.G.ramachandran Nair
Dr.Elizabeth Sherly

Participants

1. Mr.Vishal.M.Rasal
2. Mr.Tamal Mondal
3. Ms.Anushika Bose
4. Mr.Shrinivas.K.R
5. Mr.Rudresh.B.S
6. Dr.N.Ayyappan
7. Dr.Antony Xavier
8. Ms.Kalpana Das
9. Ms.Neha Pandey
10. Dr.Nagamurugan.N
11. Ms.Moumita Ghosh
12. Dr.Jaya.D.S
13. Ms.Lakshmy.K.S
14. Dr.Annamalai.A
15. Ms.Arathy Ram.R.S.

Attributing Physical Sense for Quantitative Expression of Ecological Resilience

(is in continuation of what was discussed in class:

planetary boundary hypothesis,  & adaptive cycle theory)

Life on the Earth is subtended by the whole gamut of processes, which we generalize as ecological. 

Let us visualize life on the Earth to be suspended as shown below.

Assuming the spring indicates the above said processes

 

          

 

 In mechanics, students study something called law of elasticity. It states that the extension of a spring is in direct proportion with the load applied to it. Materials obey this law as long as the load does not exceed their respective elastic limit. Stress at which materials start to deform irreversibly is called yield point. Number of yield points acting, creates what is called yield surface. Yield surface is usually considered as five dimensional.

Applying this concept to the Earth; it is only logical to presume that as long as anthropogenic pressure is within the yield point of a given ecosystem, it stands the possibility to revert back to original state.

The 5D structure to study the yield surface of an ecosystem can be considered to be comprised of:

1.    A plane comprising location (x,y,z) - A 3d location can be visualized as a proxel (process element), something akin to pixel, which is more familiar. This includes all primary bio-physical parameters sensed there in and their dynamics.

2.    Time (of observation)

3.    Socio-ecological factors. (Social component comes to picture only when man is a part of the system under study. Say, if we are studying a pond ecosystem deep inside the Western Ghats/ African or Amazonian forest, untouched by modern man, this dimension reduces itself to ecological. These are scenarios, where man can still be considered as a natural animal.

Whilst, if we are studying Ashtamudi/ Victoria/ Chad lakes, those which are extensively and destructively interfered by modern man the social arm dominates the ecological arm.               

The problems for the class are:

A.    Attempt to arrive at the components that can define the yield criterion for a given case. Let us take the more familiar Ashtamudi lake.

B.    Explain the behavior of basic metaphors (ball, basin, key variable, threshold) vis-à-vis yield criterion of Ashtamudi lake.

Yield criterion concerns the limit of elasticity under combination of stresses.

You would find that although it is always not possible to ascribe a cause and effect to all the components, it still does make sense to move forward from established concepts of physics in reaching a holistic picture and more importantly a quantitative estimate for ecological resilience.   

We shall discuss further in the class.