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Citation practice in science: Do we really know what we think we know
Citations are an integral part of the scientific literature. How and what we cite in scientific writing affects our downstream understanding of the system that we study. Using a case study from the mixed-species flocks literature about the idea of 'nuclear species', Hari Sridhar and I explore where this idea originated, what are the most commonly cited references for this idea and how much evidence we have in support for some of the ideas that are now commonplace in this literature. We also discuss some implications that this may have for the way we cite in general. Publication based on this work: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/abs/10.1098/rstb.2022.0108. 
Link to the India LTEO website: https://lteo.iisc.ac.in/
What rules govern flock formation in mixed-species bird flocks?
This part of my work is about flock assembly and mechanisms of flock formation in the community ecology framework. In this study I examine phenotypic assembly of mixed-species bird flocks to understand the processes that drive flock composition. By examining phenotypic composition of flocks of different species composition and richness I arrive at changes in phenotypic assembly of mixed-species flocks with increase in species number. I also study this at a global scale using data from multiple study sites across the world. Publication: Phenotypic clumping decreases with flock richness in mixed-species bird flocks |
Credit: www.wordle.net
India - Long Term Ecological Observatories (LTEO)
My current research focuses on the effect of climate change on bird populations. Climate change has made it inevitable that we monitor our ecosystems over a long duration. This is essential for effective management and mitigation. The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change launched the India LTEO project for monitoring of various taxa in multiple landscapes in India. One of the LTEO themes is to monitor changes in bird populations since birds are known to be important indicators of changes in the ecosystem. The bird LTEO research group aims to arrive at changes in bird populations over space and time. Read more. 
Illustration of a mixed-species bird flock at my study site Anshi National Park, KA, India. (c) Artist: Rangu Narayan
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(c) Pranav Karwande.
Brown-cheeked fulvetta. A intraspecifically gregarious important species in mixed-flocks in Anshi.
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Species roles in mixed-species bird flocks
Mixed-species flocks are composed of multiple species that vary in how much they contribute to flock formation and maintenance. It has been established that not all species that occur in flocks contribute equally to the benefits gained from mixed-species flocking. In this project I studied species that are important in mixed-flocks to understand the drivers of their importance. Collaborators: Hari Sridhar and Kartik Shanker |
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Flock social networks
Mixed-species bird flocks have been examined in a social network analysis framework based on species co-occurrences in different studies. Species centrality is often viewed as an indicator of importance in flocks. Here I examine change in species centrality with increasing flock size to understand the nuances in species importance in flock social networks. I also examine network modularity and species assortment in small flocks versus large flocks to gain insights into functioning of small and large mixed-species bird flocks. This framework can be generalized beyond mixed-species bird flocks to understand the interactions in different animal groups that display variation in group size. This work was done in collaboration with Dr. Dai Shizuka and his student Laura Vander Meiden. Collaborators: Hari Sridhar, Daizaburo Shizuka, Laura Vander Meiden, Kartik Shanker Online version of the publication: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00442-021-05053-z |
A dummy network of species that participate in mixed-species flocks. Birds in the pictures: (Bottom to Top, Left to Right) Brown-cheeked fulvetta, Yellow-browed bulbul, Common flameback, Malabar trogon, Greater racket-tailed drongo, Velvet-fronted nuthatch, Black-naped Monarch, Western crowned warblers, Orange minivet (female), Ashy drongo.
Modified with permission from an illustration by Rangu Narayan.
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(c) Harish Prakash. Brown-headed Barbet feeding on a Ficus fruit in Rajaji National Park, Uttarakhand, India. Barbets are known to primarily feed on fruits in tropical forests.
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Seed dispersal ecology in tropical deciduous forests
I worked on the ecology of tropical deciduous forests of southern and northern India before joining the PhD program at the Indian Institute of Science. This project involved field data collection and management where I worked with a team of 8, on a large scale project that studied different aspects of seed dispersal including fruit removal, frugivore assembly, frugivore movement and gut passage rates. Project website: seeddispersal.weebly.com/people.html |
Research Publications:
Bangal, P., & Sridhar, H. (2023). Revisiting the ‘nuclear species’ concept: do we really know what we think we know?. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 378(1878), 20220108.
Hariharan, P., Bangal, P., Sridhar, H., & Shanker, K. (2022). Habitat use by mixed-species bird flocks in tropical forests of the Western Ghats, India. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 38(6), 393-400.
Bharadwaj, A., Mhamane, S., Bangal, P., Menon, T., Isvaran, K., & Quader, S. (2022). Long-term bird abundance in a threatened grassland ecosystem: an assessment using daily bird lists. bioRxiv, 2022-10.
Bangal, P., Sridhar, H., Shizuka, D., Vander Meiden, L. N., & Shanker, K. (2021). Flock-species richness influences node importance and modularity in mixed-species flock networks. Oecologia, 1-10.
Bangal, P., Sridhar, H., & Shanker, K. (2021). Phenotypic Clumping Decreases With Flock Richness in Mixed-Species Bird Flocks. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, NA-NA.
Goodale, E., Sridhar, H., Sieving, K. E., Bangal, P., Colorado Z, G. J., Farine, D. R., ... & Montaño‐Centellas, F. (2020). Mixed company: a framework for understanding the composition and organization of mixed‐species animal groups. Biological Reviews.
Koparde P., P. Bangal and H. Grouw. (2014). Brown Kites and White Crows: Understanding color aberrations in birds. HORNBILL (JULY-SEPTEMBER):10-13. HORNBILL (Published by the Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India). Read the article here.
Conference Presentations:
Oral presentation at the Association for Field Ornithology and Wilson Ornithology Society joint meeting, 2019, Cape May New Jersey, USA.
Talk Title: Phenotypic clumping reduces with flock size in mixed-species bird flocks.
Oral presentation at the International Society of Behavioural Ecology, 2018 meeting at University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
Talk Title: What makes gregarious species important in mixed-species bird flocks?
Oral presentation at SPEECUP - an event to communicate research in a 3-minute talk format for Bangalore based researchers in Ecology at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, 2017.
Speed-talk Title: Assembly of mixed-species bird flocks.
Poster presentation at the Joint meeting of the 35th International Ethological Conference (IEC) and the 2017 Summer Meeting of the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB). Estoril, Portugal.
Poster Title: Finding allies: What rules govern the formation of mixed-species flocks?
Oral presentation at the 3rd regional conference of the Society for Conservation Biology – Asia Section, Melaka, Malaysia, 2014. Talk Title: Seed dispersal beyond borders: Comparing the functional role of Pycnonotidae in rural and forest habitats.
Bangal, P., & Sridhar, H. (2023). Revisiting the ‘nuclear species’ concept: do we really know what we think we know?. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 378(1878), 20220108.
Hariharan, P., Bangal, P., Sridhar, H., & Shanker, K. (2022). Habitat use by mixed-species bird flocks in tropical forests of the Western Ghats, India. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 38(6), 393-400.
Bharadwaj, A., Mhamane, S., Bangal, P., Menon, T., Isvaran, K., & Quader, S. (2022). Long-term bird abundance in a threatened grassland ecosystem: an assessment using daily bird lists. bioRxiv, 2022-10.
Bangal, P., Sridhar, H., Shizuka, D., Vander Meiden, L. N., & Shanker, K. (2021). Flock-species richness influences node importance and modularity in mixed-species flock networks. Oecologia, 1-10.
Bangal, P., Sridhar, H., & Shanker, K. (2021). Phenotypic Clumping Decreases With Flock Richness in Mixed-Species Bird Flocks. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, NA-NA.
Goodale, E., Sridhar, H., Sieving, K. E., Bangal, P., Colorado Z, G. J., Farine, D. R., ... & Montaño‐Centellas, F. (2020). Mixed company: a framework for understanding the composition and organization of mixed‐species animal groups. Biological Reviews.
Koparde P., P. Bangal and H. Grouw. (2014). Brown Kites and White Crows: Understanding color aberrations in birds. HORNBILL (JULY-SEPTEMBER):10-13. HORNBILL (Published by the Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India). Read the article here.
Conference Presentations:
Oral presentation at the Association for Field Ornithology and Wilson Ornithology Society joint meeting, 2019, Cape May New Jersey, USA.
Talk Title: Phenotypic clumping reduces with flock size in mixed-species bird flocks.
Oral presentation at the International Society of Behavioural Ecology, 2018 meeting at University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
Talk Title: What makes gregarious species important in mixed-species bird flocks?
Oral presentation at SPEECUP - an event to communicate research in a 3-minute talk format for Bangalore based researchers in Ecology at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, 2017.
Speed-talk Title: Assembly of mixed-species bird flocks.
Poster presentation at the Joint meeting of the 35th International Ethological Conference (IEC) and the 2017 Summer Meeting of the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB). Estoril, Portugal.
Poster Title: Finding allies: What rules govern the formation of mixed-species flocks?
Oral presentation at the 3rd regional conference of the Society for Conservation Biology – Asia Section, Melaka, Malaysia, 2014. Talk Title: Seed dispersal beyond borders: Comparing the functional role of Pycnonotidae in rural and forest habitats.
