Research Projects

Mosses represent one of the most diverse group of land plants that regulate the vital components of biodiversity and significantly influence ecosystem processes. The complex role of mosses in influencing soil biogeochemistry, biodiversity, and ecosystem services across diverse environmental gradients - such as varying climates, vegetation types, and land uses, while occasionally enigmatic has yet to be fully investigated in India, despite the country being home to about 27.5% of the world’s moss species. This project will aim to highlight role of mosses in influencing soil properties, soil microbial communities and will study the direct and indirect relationships between moss and vascular plants in different temperate forest types of the Indian Himalayas. Soil will be collected from different temperate forest types during rainy season under three different ground covers (moss, vascular plants, and bare surface) and will be analyzed with major focus on microbial communities, and soil physical, chemical and biological properties. Also, vegetation dynamics are widely recognized as critical indicators for monitoring ecosystem processes at different spatial scales, and are commonly analyzed by remote sensing professionals. Mosses frequently form a dominant layer of ground cover and significantly influence satellite signal readings, particularly in younger forest stands. An effort will be made to combine field-observations with remote sensing data to evaluate the role of mosses along with higher plants on the biogeochemical cycling and climate changes in the dense Himalayan ecosystems. Overall, this project aims to integrate field ecology, microbial soil science, and remote sensing techniques to evaluate the ecological role of mosses in forest ecosystems. This research will deepen our understanding of moss cover as a fundamental component of carbon and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems, highlighting its vital role in promoting ecosystem resilience and long-term sustainability. This study will also be helpful in devising better management plans for forest conservation under current climate-changing scenarios.