Publications

do frogs really eat cardamom? understanding the myth of crop damage by amphibians in the western ghats, india.	in the western ghats of india, amphibians are culled at cardamom plantations since they are perceived to consume cardamom. to better understand the relationship between amphibians and cardamom, a study was undertaken at these plantations, which harbor numerous threatened and range-restricted amphibians. we undertook questionnaire surveys with 298 respondents at 148 plantations across southern india. time-activity budget and diet analysis surveys were undertaken to determine whether amphibians re ...	2017	28233252
cardamom fruits as a green resource for facile synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles and their biological applications.	gold (fa-aunps) and silver (fa-agnps) nanoparticles were synthesized at room temperature by aqueous extract of dried fruits of amomum villosum, also known as fructus amomi (cardamom), in order to confer antioxidant, catalytic, antimicrobial activities and treatment effect against breast cancer cells. fruit extracts served as both reducing agents and stabilizers in lieu of chemical agents. ultra-violet visible (uv-vis) spectroscopy, field emission transmission electron microscopy (fe-tem), energy ...	2017	28290213
soil and biomass carbon pools in model communities of tropical plants under elevated co2.	the experimental data presented here relate to the question of whether terrestrial ecosystems will sequester more c in their soils, litter and biomass as atmospheric co2 concentrations rise. similar to our previous study with relatively fertile growth conditions (körner and arnone 1992), we constructed four rather nutrient-limited model communities of moist tropical plant species in greenhouses (approximately 7 m(2) each). plant communities were composed of seven species (77 individuals per comm ...	1995	28306914
will rising atmospheric co2 affect leaf litter quality and in situ decomposition rates in native plant communities?	though field data for naturally senesced leaf litter are rare, it is commonly assumed that rising atmospheric co2 concentrations will reduce leaf litter quality and decomposition rates in terrestrial ecosystems and that this will lead to decreased rates of nutrient cycling and increased carbon sequestration in native ecosystems. we generally found that the quality of␣naturally senesced leaf litter (i.e. concentrations of c, n and lignin; c:n, lignin:n) of a variety of native plant species produc ...	1997	28307228