PhD Theses (SACON)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://192.168.202.180:4000/handle/123456789/138

Browse

Author: search.filters.author.Azeez, P A

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    A study of the ecology of select species of weeds in different vegetation types of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
    (SACON, 2000) Mahajan, Maya V; Azeez, P A
    Invasion by weedy species of plants has serious impact on natural and managed ecosystems. Weedy species invade agricultural lands, fallow lands, roadsides, disturbed forests and plantations. Invasion by such species modifies the ecosystem structure and function. Invading species may dominate and displace the native vegetation and cause extinction of certain native species, leading to alteration in the original biodiversity of an area. In recent years, biological invasion is being recognised as a serious threat to biodiversity conservation (Pimm and Gulpin 1989, Vitousek et al. 1996). In contrast to studies in agricultural fields, not much attention is given to plant invasion in natural ecosystems. Nevertheless, the colonisation of natural forest ecosystem by weedy species is growing as a threat. In recognition of the threats posed by plant invasions in natural vegetation and realising the scarcity of ecological information on various colonising plant species
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Study of the Bird Community in Agasthyamalai hills, Western Ghats, Kerala, India
    (SACON, 2018) Panigrahi, Madhumita; Azeez, P A
    patterns of occurrence or distribution and generality of the pattern (Weins 1989, Vellend 2010). A community is structured by wide array of factors, competition, niche availability, spatial heterogeneity, predation, climatic stability, productivity, dispersal, speciation and many more (Hutchinson 1959, Pianka 1966, Vellend 2010). On the other hand, distribution of species may be influenced by species composition, abundance, behaviour, morphology and their association with the environment (Weins 1989). Owing to the complexity of the systems and interactions among them, the study of community ecology is rightly stated by Schoener (1986) as the ‘most tumultuous and alluring of ecology’s subdisciplines’. Studies on avifauna have been playing a pivotal role in addressing intricate questions and testing varied hypotheses relating to community ecology. As widely noted, methodological advances, well-studied taxonomy and natural history, mostly diurnal behaviour and conspicuousness make birds an easy species to study
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AMONG THE HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS OF COIMBATORE DISTRICT
    (SACON, 2017) Chandran, R; Azeez, P A
    In the last couple of decades world over there is serious deliberations on the need for pro-active participation of the public, various social segments, and persons from various walks of life in conservation of the Environment and on identifying effective strategy to accomplish that. It is well recognized that conviction, at the grass root level, on the cruciality of environmental conservation is essential for wide and involved participation of public. Environmental education (EE), especially among the youngsters, to a great extent fulfills that need and facilitates educated decision-making among the public on issues related to environment. Thus, the main goal of EE is developing a world population that is aware of and concerned about the environment and its associated problems and which has the knowledge, skills, attitudes, motivation and commitment to work individually and collectively toward solutions of current problems and prevention of new ones.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Particulate air pollution data for Coimbatore, India: real time monitoring and modeling with data-interoperability measures
    (SACON, 2016) Nisadh, K A; Azeez, P A
    Particulate air pollution is a major health burden and environmental concern in urban areas. As a serious health problem in urban areas, current intervention measures has to be sufficiently refined for urgent and sustainable management. Data intensive approach can gives tools to integrate diverse data sources for deriving decision-making information and improved applications for adaptive management of pollution. However lack of spatio-temporally relevant and reliable data on particulate pollution and the data existing in non-interoperable formats to a great extent hampers knowledge generation for effective control of pollution and management of air quality. The current study focused on developing basic tools for data intensive approach in a second tier urban centre of India. The study intends to explore an affordable real time air quality information systems focusing on Coimbatore, a fast growing and second tier urban center in the state of Tamil Nadu, India and its surroundings as the study area. The major objectives of the study were (1) to develop a real time particulate pollution monitoring system using low cost commodity sensors and assess its effectiveness in the study area, (2) attempt a real time particulate pollution modeling system for the study area using WRF-CHEM, addressing its computational requirements, and (3) demonstrate application of interoperability measures on real time particulate pollution data.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Status and Ecology of House Sparrow Passer domesticus along an urban to rural gradient in Coimbatore, India
    (SACON, 2011) Dhanya, R; Azeez, P A
    In due course of the evolution of human civilisation, from their nomadic to the resident lifestyle, they were industrious agents of change. Their behaviours changed ecological processes in agglomerates of residences and trades, in cities and as well as in other areas (Vitousek et al. 1997). As the human population rise, infrastructure grows up; urbanisation spreads and increasingly affects biodiversity (Blair 2004). Human activities in the form of land use changes, urbanisation and infrastructure developments are considered major threats to biodiversity (Gontier 2008). This in turn results in the loss and fragmentation of natural habitats, thereby threatening populations of local species and ultimately biodiversity (Saunders et al. 1991). Urban development produces the greatest local extinction rates and eliminates the majority of the species (Vale and Vale 1976, Marzluff 2001, Czech et al. 2000). This replacement brings in the process of biotic Homogenisation that threatens to reduce the biological uniqueness of local ecosystems (Blair 2001). The loss and fragmentation of valuable habitats influences the long-term viability of species populations, which may ultimately become extinct at the local or regional scale
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    AN ANALYSIS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES IN THE BHARATHAPUZHA RIVER BASIN, SOUTHERN INDIA
    (SACON, 2010) Raj, Nikhil PP; Azeez, P A
    Rivers are considered as an open ecological system, which play a major function in integrating and organizing the landscape and moulding the ecological setting of an area. The dynamism of the free-flowing rivers for long have challenged and fascinated humans and are a cradle of human civilization. The economic value of river basins could be in billions of dollars (Schuyt, 2005) if it could be reasonably estimated. However, rivers and streams are among the most human affected ecosystems in the globe and exceedingly exploited (Neilson et al., 2005) for water, energy and transportation by its stake holders. The genesis and development of the modern human civilization is believed to have happened in the banks of various global river systems. The Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Chinese and Indus valley civilizations were developed respectively in the basins of the rivers Nile, Tigris–Euphrates, Yangtze-Yellow, and Indus during different geological time scales. Most of the important and highly populated cities of the present day are also located along river banks.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Air Quality of Coimbatore with Emphasis on Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter
    (SACON, 2002) Mohanraj, R; Azeez, P A
    Particulate matter (PM), a complex mixture of organic and inorganic substances is an ubiquitous air pollutant, contributed by both natural and anthropogenic sources. Ever since the advent of industrial era, anthropogenic sources of PM have been increasing rapidly. Increasing amounts of such potentially harmful particles being emitted into the atmosphere on a global scale has resulted in damage to the health and environment. Recently it is also reported that soot particles have a heating effect to the atmosphere. Such heating effect can have wide implications on various systems of earth including climate. PM in the atmosphere is categorized according to size because of different health impacts from particles of different diameters. PM with diameters of less than 50 pm are generally classified as Total suspended Particulate Matter (TSPM). Particles that are greater than 50 pm in diameter do not remain in the atmosphere for appreciable lengths of time and present no health risk. Particulates with a diameter less than 10 pm defined as PM 10 or Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM), enter the respiratory system and may become lodged in the alveoli resulting in wide range health effects including cancer and heart failures. PM 10 has the potential to travel long distances and cause cumulative effects. Other hazardous air pollutants may adhere to these particles, increasing their toxicity. These particles on wet and dry deposition are known to pollute local, regional and global land and water resources.