Central Himalayan region of India encompasses varied ecological habitats ranging from near tropics to the mid-elevation forests dominated by cool-temperate taxa. In past, we have reported several new records and novel species from Uttarakhand state of India. Here, we assessed genetic variations in three mitochondrial genes, namely, 16S rRNA, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and cytochrome c oxidase subunit II (COI and COII) in 26 drosophilid species collected along altitudinal transect from 550 to 2700 m above mean sea level. In the present study, overall 543 sequences were generated, 82 for 16S rRNA, 238 for COI, 223 for COII with 21, 47 and 45 mitochondrial haplotypes for 16S rRNA, COI and COII genes, respectively. Almost all species were represented by 2-3 unique mitochondrial haplotypes, depicting a significant impact of environmental heterogeneity along altitudinal gradient on genetic diversity. Also for the first time, molecular data of some rare species like Drosophila mukteshwarensis, Liodrosophila nitida, Lordiphosa parantillaria, Lordiphosa ayarpathaensis, Scaptomyza himalayana, Scaptomyza tistai, Zaprionus grandis and Stegana minuta are provided to public domains through this study.
Literature concerning phenotypic variation among wild-caught drosophilids inhabiting varied ecological habitats is relatively rare. The present study explores pattern of body size traits along altitudinal gradients, and compensation to colder environments and reduced air pressure via adjustment of wing morphology at higher altitudes. Wild adult flies were collected in two extensive surveys during September-October 2014 and April-May 2015. All traits were measured for both the sexes to obtain data on sexual dimorphism. It was found that though these populations differed significantly in their size, as already known, they deviated from the expected reaction norms of size increase along altitudinal gradients as observed in several previous studies. This deviation from normal clinal trend can be attributed to variation in growth rates and development times at different altitudes which has important implications in overall reproductive success. Also, a significant increase in wing area of flies at higher altitude was recorded with dramatically lower wing loadings than flies that developed in comparatively warmer habitats, giving them an aerodynamic advantage at cold temperatures. Thorax width was also analyzed, possibly for the first time in wild-caught flies of Indian populations, revealing sexual dimorphism. The ratio of thorax length to width was greater than one for all species indicating that the thorax is more elongated in females, which may also influence the flight capacity of the sexes.
Cloud computing has been gaining recognition amongst enterprises due to its wide range of applications. Its adoption is found to be driven by factors like industry, geography, size of organization, and nature of business etc. Gradually researchers started exploring adoption of cloud computing from users perspective particularly behavioral factors driving the same. The present study intends to explore different behavioral predictor of intention to use cloud computing, by adopting the recent Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) 3 developed by Venkatesh & Bala (2008). A total of 100 users who are involved in purchasing computing solutions or are key stakeholders/decision-makers of Indian Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) constituted the sample for this study. Data collection was done through online survey. The findings suggest that perceived ease of use has significant effect on attitude towards usage which subsequently affects intention to use cloud computing. The findings are consistent with the previous researches on technology adoption factors. At the end, the theoretical and managerial implications of the study are discussed.
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