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From the early Holocene onward, the Indian Subcontinent has accommodated a range of diverse human cultures and associated ecological adaptations and lifestyles. Around 10 kyrs ago, the Subcontinent has witnessed the development of later Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and their subsequent regional transitions to pastoralist (Neolithic) and agricultural (Chalcolithic) lifeways. The Holocene climate records reveal discrepancies in the timing and duration of climatic events, which can be attributed to a vast geographic isolation, the influence of height, elevation, and local climatic conditions. These changing climatic patterns including the development of a geographically variable monsoon directly impacted these various cultures including the Harappans and their contemporaries as well as younger Historical and Medieval empires across India, at various levels. In some regions, environmental changes led to uneven cultural transitions, geographic migrations, and the development of regionally-distinct material cultures along with establishment of sedentary life-ways. This paper attempts to present a review broadly correlating general climatic patterns throughout the Holocene period of India with regional cultural dynamics. All geomorphic-climatic zones of the Subcontinent showed strong inter-proxy coherence between 9 and 5 kyrs in response to increased precipitation. After this warming period ends, we see a moderate dry period as a result of a weakening monsoon and an overall tendency toward aridity throughout all zones (after 4 kyrs). The temporal variation of human habitation and respective adaptive responses suggest broad linkages to the varying climatic and physiographic features at a regional scale. Learning how this shaped human eco-dynamics in the past can help us expand our understanding of human history and implement lessons for the present as well as the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a panel of state-level data for the period 1970–2018 this paper assesses the impacts of climatic hazards, viz., droughts, floods, heat-waves and cold-waves, on agricultural growth in India, and also evaluates the potential of a few important adaptation measures in mitigating their negative growth effects. The findings reveal that climatic hazards negatively impact agricultural growth, but different hazards impact it differently. Droughts and heat-waves have larger negative effects, and these effects are stronger for the poor and pre-dominantly agrarian states. Nonetheless, the findings also demonstrate that the negative effects of climatic hazards can partially be offset using the adaptation measures, ex-ante and ex-post the hazards. Irrigation and crop diversification appear to provide larger adaptation benefits, especially against droughts and heat-waves, but their benefits fall significantly in case the hazards become more frequent. The adaptation benefits of manipulations in input-use and diversification into animal husbandry are comparatively small but more sustainable in the event of frequent climatic hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terminalia arjuna is native to India and occurs naturally along the banks of streams and rivers. The species is characterized to dry deciduous forests. The present study was carried out for the growth and physiological changes of T. arjuna in different elevated CO2 levels. Open top chambers were used to expose plants to ambient and elevated CO2 concentrations (400 and 800 ppm). The experiment was conducted in the month of March to August in 2019 for six months. The results showed that the growth parameters, i.e. plant height, collar diameter, the number of leaves, were found to be increased in elevated CO2 conditions. The percentage increase in physiological parameters like photosynthetic rate (28.82), mesophyll efficiency (60 % more in elevated CO2 condition), CO2 concentration (55 % more in elevated CO2), vapour pressure deficit (4.83 at 800 ppm) and water use efficiency (5.94 at ppm) increased. In contrast, transpiration rate (5.38 at 800 ppm and 10.11 ppm at ambient condition) and stomatal conductance (30% less in 800 ppm) decreased under elevated CO2 compared to ambient conditions. The study concluded that changing climatic conditions and significantly elevated CO2 in future may profoundly influence plant growth and the physiological response of T. arjuna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Majuli in Assam in India is the largest river island of the world which was also declared as a first such independent district of India in the year 2016. The existence of Majuli however dates back to early 20th century when its area was more than 880sq km. But with time - Majuli has shrunk as the river surrounding it has grown and which brought its present area down to 340 sqkm.The timeline saw the evolution and sustenance of the place in its own distinct ways.Adaptation through primitive vernacular architecture is found as traditional approach of sustenance for the inhabitants here. The people of Majuli have created a built environment in their own terms which isarea specific, climatically responsive and integral to the region. They have used methods of construction which categorically responds to locally available resources and traditions and address survival issues at grass root level. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over a period of time that reflects the traditional, climatic, cultural and historical aspects which exists in context of the place. The island of Majuli breathes its traditional response through its unique and indigenous ways since a long period of time. This study observes the socio-cultural, economic and ethnic traditions of the people of river island ofMajuli. The paper further does an extensive case study of the dominant Mising, Deuri and SonowalKachari tribes – their various survival strategies in terms of adaptation of built forms, local construction technologies adopted using of locally available resources and sustaining all climatic and natural adversities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is an important downside risk in Indian agriculture; and the spatial differences in its intensity and probability of occurrence are considerable. To develop strategies to manage the risk of drought, and to coordinate and implement these strategies, it is essential to understand the variation in drought risk across geographical or administrative levels. This paper, using a multilevel modeling approach, decomposes the variation in drought risk across states, regions, districts, villages and households, and finds it disproportionately distributed. About half the variation is attributed to between-individual (i.e., household) differences and the rest to between-population differences, mainly to states and villages. These findings suggest the potential for a critical role of states (policies) and local institutions (communities) in enhancing resilience of agriculture to droughts through the correct targeting of policies and support for the most appropriate geographic level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural common property resources (CPRs) in dry tropical areas of India form an important part of people's livelihood strategies, to adapt to harsh, stressful and high risk bio-physical conditions. However, despite their utility and contributions, CPRs have been neglected and declined in the recent decades, following economic, demographic and institutional changes. This has led to community's general disregard of rapidly degrading CPRs. Despite this general trend the CPRs are being productively rehabilitated by small user groups through focusing on specific CPR units in place of addressing the aggregates of CPRs. The paper reports this change by synthesizing the information collected from over 80 villages during 1982-85 and revisits during 1993-2003 to some of the earlier studied villages, in seven states falling in arid and semi-arid regions of India. The paper suggests the need for using the disaggregated approach to complement the usual aggregated approaches for better understanding of the dynamics of CPR change and their better management under the changing circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opposite clinal variation for desiccation and starvation tolerance are observed in four altitudinal populations (219–2202 m), each of two sympatric and cold adapted species: Drosophila takahashii and Drosophila nepalensis from northern India. The high-altitude populations are more tolerant to desiccation than those from lower altitudes, whereas the reverse trend occurs for starvation tolerance. The magnitude of tolerances are significantly high in D. nepalensis, which is better adapted to cold conditions. During winter months (November to February), there are significant decreases in Tmax, Tmin and relative humidity along the altitudinal transect. Higher desiccation resistance can develop under cold conditions over short-range, altitudinally varying, geographical areas (250 km) compared with our previously reported long-range (>2000 km), latitudinal variations under tropical climatic conditions. However, significant starvation tolerances are favoured by small body size, higher dispersal rate and higher ambient temperature of the site of origin of populations. Significant correlations of two climatic factors (the mean monthly coefficients of variation of temperature and relative humidity) with these two physiological traits can best explain the observed altitudinal clinal variations under natural conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]