The Indian subcontinent hosts high biodiversity including charismatic species like elephants and tigers, despite being the most populous nation in the world. Over the past twenty years, scholars have used genetic information to understand the origins of species, and how they have been impacted by anthropogenic effects, with an aim to safeguard their future. In this talk, geneticist Uma Ramakrishnan will give some examples of work on biogeography, molecular ecology and conservation genetics in the context of the changing Indian subcontinent, and discuss possible futures for biodiversity in India.
Speaker: Uma Ramakrishnan, Professor at National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru, India
Moderator: L. Mahadevan, Professor of Physics, de Valpine Professor of Applied Mathematics, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
Lunch will be provided.