Department: Biological Sciences (DBS)
Email: robert.john [at] iiserkol.ac.in
Personal Website: Click Here
We conduct ecological research at the population, community, and landscape scales, in a wide range of ecosystems. We study how species diversity is organized and maintained at multiple spatial scales, by investigating patterns of plant diversity, species distributions, plant life histories, plant invasions, environmental variation, demographic processes, dispersal, succession, and community structure. Of particular interest is the functional trait variation and adaptive capacity within and among populations of widely distributed and important tree species to emerging temperature and drought stress due to climatic changes. Seasonally dry environments which support both forest and grassland vegetation account for much of the natural vegetation of India, and their response to environmental changes is critical for the subcontinent. In central India, we are working on developing climate-resilient forest restoration strategies and on evaluating the prospects and potential for achieving improved forest cover, forest quality and livelihood support under the national Green India Mission. In the Terai region of the subcontinent, we are investigating the factors that are changing forest, savanna, and grassland diversity and distributions and the overall influence of landcover changes on biodiversity and carbon cycling. We are working on developing new research on carbon sequestration potential and overall sustainability of agricultural systems, and in expanding research in the area of ecological restoration of mined-out lands to improve productive and sustainable use of land. Our research is not only of fundamental importance to ecology, it is also highly relevant for responding to current challenges in conservation and sustainable development in the face of habitat degradation and loss, and global environmental change. It can help design/manage biodiversity conservation, afforestation and restoration programmes, and contribute to improve wildlife habitat management, production forestry, carbon sequestration, forest-dependent livelihoods, agroforestry-based production and conservation, watershed management, and various land management interventions. To achieve this, we are focusing on understanding the drivers of forest/vegetation transformations in species rich regions and the drivers of landcover and land use change in multifunctional landscapes. We do this by analyzing time series of surface reflectance changes derived from a wide range of satellite sensors, in combination with environmental and climatic data, extensive ground measurements, socioeconomic analyses, and landscape ecological modeling. Our overall goal is to integrate the drivers of ecosystem changes, development imperatives, conservation, and livelihoods to create a framework for sustainability.
