Research Paper Puerto Rico

Juan David Vivas Professor Holt ENC – 1102 Honors English Final Research Paper La ficcion y la realidad en Seva â€Å"Seva: History of the first U. S. invasion of the island of Puerto Rico that took place in May 1898,† is a story written by Dr. Luis Lopez Nieves that defies the boundaries of truth and fiction. This story was published on December 23, 1983 in the supplement of the newspaper â€Å"Red Clarity†. A story that was able to leave a legacy behind. This legacy created an atmosphere of questions and answers among the people in the island.The devastation that puertorricans felt over the words they were reading were caused by a simple proofreading error, arose much confusion where people were desperate for answers, and the perfection of how Seva was written made it impossible to be questioned. Before I continue on informing about this dreadful story, it is important that I state several historical facts in order to accept the authors full credentials and obt ain a better grasp of the story. Luis Lopez Nieves was born on January 17, 1950 in Washington, DC, from Puerto Rican parents.As early as seven years old he moved to the capital of Puerto Rico and at fifteen years of age began his studies at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus. The most luxurious university to study at that time. During his second year he was in Greenwich Village, an artistic and bohemian neighborhood of New York (Ciudsv. com/Datos). At twenty years of age he returned to the University of Puerto Rico and in 1973 graduated with a degree in general studies with concentrations in Comparative Literature and Hispanic Studies.Then he moved to the University of New York at Stony Brook, where he began his Master's degree in Hispanic Studies with a grant from the Ford Foundation. In 1980 he received a doctorate in Philosophy specializing in Comparative Literature and sets a precedent by being the first student to deliver a novel as a doctoral thesis: The Prince Alexander excessive happiness. Lopez Nieves is the author of the novels The Silence of Galileo, published in June 2009 and The heart of Voltaire, published in December 2005 (Ciudsv. om/Datos). This writer is also known for his excellent work as a storyteller with his books of short stories entitled The real death of Juan Ponce de Leon, published in April 2000, Writing for Rafa, published in 1987 and Seva. The week this story was published, the people of Puerto Rico were shocked to learn that the first U. S. invasion of Puerto Rico did not occur July 25, 1898 by the town of Guanica but that it happened on May 5th on the coast of the village that no longer exists called Seva (Ciudsv. com/Datos).That day, the 2,000 troops of General Nelson Miles was ambushed by 721 patriotic â€Å"savaenos† that resisted the American attack on the island and finally defeated the troops of General Miles. Actually it was not a historic victory but a great literary epic written by Luis Lopez Nieves (Ciudsv. com/Libros). A clarification that seemed to be absent on the published story of Seva in the newspaper Clarity caused much controversy in Puerto Rico since people were misled to believe the events occurred were true. The reaction was strong but confused. A harrowing mixture of joy, anger and pain.Joy because finally the old hated myth was destroyed of the alleged docility of puertorricans, their supine alleged delivery to the conquerors. At last, after many years of historical ignorance, puertorricans began to learn a few episodes of their true and heroic epic. Anger because such a vile act as the slaughter of Seva, and the total eradication of the people by the invaders, with good reason (Ciudsv. com/Libros). Pain because the people more courageous than ever, heroic even Lares, lay murdered, buried and forgotten under the planes, buildings and nuclear missiles of the naval base at Roosevelt Roads.After the Seva news, reports were confirmed that in Naguabo, Ceiba, Guayanill a, Rio Piedras, San Sebastian and several committees were organized within hours. The first committee was intended to find Don Ignacio Martinez, the only survivor of the slaughter of Seva: â€Å"My life has changed forever because last January 17 after 14 months of searching disheartened, I finally found the child-without-ear-left: Don Ignacio Martinez. When the Slaughter of Seva was 9 years old (and not 7 as I had estimated) and now has 92, but looks much younger. (Seva, 45)   Another committee was organized to dig in the Roosevelt Roads naval base at any cost until they found the remains of Seva, â€Å"The People Martyr†. In addition to the committees, a prominent psychologist met with the governor of Puerto Rico, Carlos Romero Barcelo, and demanded an investigation to give the whereabouts of Dr. Victor Cabanas. The Governor, given the facts, he was obliged to study the events. This reaction from readers and patriots is admirable, but there was a problem: Seva is a story , the result of a deep dissatisfaction with Luis Lopez Nieves history of Puerto Rico (Ciudsv. om/Datos). The newspaper Clarity, stunned by the events caused by the story he was obliged to publish an apology: â€Å"The text Seva: History of the first U. S. invasion of the island of Puerto Rico took place in May 1898, published in the last edition of In Red, is a story. The same has caused shock and alarm in parts of the country because it suggests a major historical discovery. While some read the text as a story, it seems that most of our readers thought it was a sensational historical article, the product of a thorough investigation and risky.But this is a story and nothing else but a story that became the product of imagination and the combination of literary resources of its author, Luis Lopez Nieves. † The immense controversy that caused Seva took the complete simplicity of just â€Å"another† column in the newspaper to have immediate government intervention to find answers. It rose over the whole story that threatens to take folkloric proportions. In sectors of intellectual, artistic, and academic independence of the country there was another issue this week. At parties, businesses, libraries and homes continually arose gatherings and discussions on the Slaughter of Seva.Attitudes towards the story begin in the euphoria (â€Å"Seva is a rallying cry,† says Ferdinand Quintana, Guayanilla musician). Several crosses appeared in front of the Roosevelt Roads naval base with the inscription: â€Å"Seva Lives! â€Å"(Seviv. com/criticas). The â€Å"Capitolio News Agency† (The white house of Puerto Rico) assigned the reporter Jennifer Wolfe to travel immediately to Washington with the intention of interviewing Peggy Ann Miles, the granddaughter of General Nelson Miles that received Dr. Victor Cabins with â€Å"biscuits, tea and very polite words†, a person that does not exist (Ciudsv. om/Datos). The poet Jose Manuel Torres Sant iago confirmed that following the clarification of the magazine Clarity to the effect that Seva was a story, many in Guayanilla and San Sebastian protested and refused to believe it was said then that Seva Editorial reality and fiction. Many refused to believe that Seva was a story and chose to stay with the version of Luis Lopez Nieves. A prominent nationalist claims to know a veterinarian who, in turn, had an uncle who spoke of Seva. â€Å"Its Ceiba,† the vet told his uncle. â€Å"No,† he replied, â€Å"I do not speak of Ceiba but of Seva†.This nationalist seemed very concerned and said that Seva is a reality. He resists, moreover, to believe that Don Ignacio Martinez is a fictitious entity created by Luis Lopez Nieves (Seva, p. 58). Fortunately, in the same way that people were wrong or did not understand the satire of Lopez Nieves, there were people who understood. A famous guayanillense wrote the following note with the real meaning of the story: â€Å"Sev a is for me a reality of all Puerto Ricans, regardless of political positions, that could happen or has happened in our town that is still suffering the same symptoms of the past.But as long as men determined as Seva, Puerto Rico will have a firm hope, of all Puerto Ricans who believe in the values that the country means for everyone. Although they do not deserve to have benefits and come to mourn for what they have not earned or deserved. But we are all too ‘Ay Bendito’ that we forgive him. † (January 9, 1984, Jose Eugenio Rivera Castagnet) The elaborate and well detailed of the context in Seva presented the story so well that it was extremely difficult to determine fact from fiction.For the first time an author was able to take a story that was not true but because of historical events, it seemed as if it had happened exactly as stated (Seviv. com/critocas). This work is extraordinary. This paper published by Luis Lopez Nieves is a hit. It is an invitation to de lve into the history of Puerto Rico, for Seva is not far from the truth. Among the readers of Clarity are probably the most sophisticated, better informed and more critical of the island: professors and university students, boxes on the left, lawyers, labor leaders, and professionals (Ciudsv. om/Libros). The author wanted to share with the people the truth that good fiction reveals: the truth about puertorricans. That is, it looks like people get an immediate sense of patriotism to see how a town was erased from history. Puerto Rican’s know the abuses that the American people rushed against Puerto Rico, the problem is that they forget or are given a blind eye when they give their coupons, housing and entertainment, among other things. They think that to swim against the current is comprehensive and to swim along is demeaning and insulting for the soul and freedom.So they are undecided and have a lifestyle like if nothing is happening around them (Ciudsv. com/Datos). We find r eality hard to believe and accept. The fiction on the other hand can easily be taken as true. How else can one explain that a publicity stunt by the author of Seva: The True Story of the American invasion in 1898 has caused such a stir, mostly clarifications and explanations from the area called the country's intelligence? Works Cited Lopez Nieves, Luis. Seva: Historia de la primera invasion norteamericana de la isla de Puerto Rico ocurrida en mayo de 1898. ra ed. Bogota, Colombia: Editorial Norma 2006 â€Å"Puerto Rico: Cementerio de la acrobacia†, revista Borinquen Grafico â€Å"? Seva Vive? â€Å". Site Oficial De Seva Vive. N. p. , n. d. Web. 25 June 2012. â€Å"Datos Personales Y BiogrA? ficos – Luis Lopez Nieves – Ciudad Seva. † Datos Personales Y BiogrA? ficos. N. p. , n. d. Web. 25 June 2012. . Seva – Luis Lopez Nieves. † Seva. N. p. , n. d. Web. 25 June 2012. ;http://ciudadseva. com/libros/seva. htm;.

Frank Lloyd Wright Biography Architecture Essay

Frank Lincoln Wright was born on June 8th, 1867 in Richland Center, Wisconsin. When he was still a yearling, his male parent got a new occupation as a church curate in Weymouth, Massachusetts. Frank ‘s female parent had wanted him to go an designer, so when Frank was nine, in 1876, his female parent bought him Froebel Blocks, ( which subsequently helped him plan edifices ) . At the age of 10, Frank ‘s household moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where his male parent opened a music school ( He discontinue his occupation as a curate ) . Frank and both of his sisters loved music merely every bit much as their male parent. During the summer after he turned eleven, Frank started to work on his female parent ‘s household ‘s farm. A typical twenty-four hours for him would be wake up at four in the forenoon, feed the hogs, milk the cattles, weed the gardens, and work in the Fieldss. The work was so difficult ; Frank tried to run away twice. His Grandfather ever caught him though. To Frank, life was n't that bad on the farm, because he loved nature. He liked to happen the forms of his Froebel blocks on the Wisconsin Prairie. When he was 14, his parents divorced. He ne'er saw his male parent after that. Because of this, he changed his in-between name to Lloyd in order to honour his female parent ‘s household, the Lloyd-Joneses. After completing high school in 1886, Frank went to the University of Wisconsin to analyze civil technology, since there were n't any colleges for architecture in the Midwest. Wright did n't wish his categories, so after a few semesters, he left the University of Wisconsin to happen a occupation in Chicago. After a few yearss in Chicago, he found a occupation with J.L. Silsbee ‘s Architectural house. Wright quit his occupation at J.L Silsbee ‘s Architectural Firm earlier even working at that place for a twelvemonth and got a new occupation as a draughtsman at the office of Louis Sullivan. Wright used Sullivan as a function theoretical account because Sullivan did n't plan edifices in the traditional Victorian manner. He designed existent American architecture. At the age of 21, Wright married Catherine Tobin. He designed a house for Catherine and himself on land given to him by Louis Sullivan. Within a twelvemonth, the twosome had their first kid, Frank Lloyd Wright Jr. When 1903 rolled about, that household of three turned into a household of eight. Sometimes invitees would see the Wright ‘s house and inquire Frank to plan them a house. Wright would reply yes, without Louis Sullivan knowing. When Sullivan eventually figured this out, he told Wright that he could merely plan edifices with Sullivan ‘s architectural house. Because of this, Wright discontinue his occupation and started his ain concern. By 1901, Wright had completed around 50 of his ain designs! One dark at a party, an designer by the name of Daniel Burnham made an offer to Wright to travel to analyze architecture in Europe for six old ages. In the offer, when Wright came back, he would have an of import occupation. Though it was a great trade, Wright turned it down because he did non desire to plan in the European manner. He wanted to go on planing existent American Architecture. In 1908, the discoverer Frederick Robie came to Wright inquiring for a house that had a batch of infinite, was fire safe, and had a good position of Chicago. He besides wanted a drama room for his childs and a twosome garages for his autos. By 1909, Wright had created a prairie manner house that met all the demands Robie had thought of. One dark, Wright met a adult female named Martha Cheney. He separated from Catherine Tobin, and traveled to Europe with Cheney. When he arrived back in America, he designed a studio for himself in Oak Park, Illinois. He called it Taliesin. While Wright was in Chicago on August 15, 1914, Martha Cheney and her two kids were at Taliesin. One of Wright ‘s workers, Julian Carlton killed Cheney, her kids and four others. Soon after, Wright fixed his studio. On November 13, 1922, Wright and Catherine Tobin eventually divorced. Soon after, Wright married Miriam Noel on November 19, 1923. The matrimony did n't last really long, and on August 26, 1927, the two divorced. During the Great Depression, Wright did n't hold really many clients. Alternatively, he spent his clip composing an autobiography and giving addresss on organic architecture. He besides opened an architectural school with his 3rd married woman Olga Milanoff, which he called the Taliesin Fellowship. When 1934 came along, Wright met with the parents of one of his pupils, Edgar Kaufmann Jr. They wanted a new place. Wright told them about constructing the house above a waterfall in Bear Run, Pennsylvania. When the Kaufmanns agreed, Wright began to plan this house. In 1937, he invited the Kaufmanns to his studio. After a speedy circuit, he showed them the house designs. The Kaufmanns liked the designs and the house was built. It is called Falling Water and is likely Frank Lloyd Wright ‘s most celebrated design. Wright wanted a new studio in 1937. He designed a studio in Scottsdale, Arizona. This besides was his place with Olga Milanoff until he died. April 8, 1959, was the concluding twenty-four hours of Wright ‘s life. After 72 old ages of working as an designer, Frank Lloyd Wright left behind over 500 edifices like Falling Water, the Robie House, Taliesin, and the Guggenheim Museum.

Famous Thinkers Essay

There are many famous thinkers that have lived on this earth who have made significant changes to everyone’s lives. A couple famous thinkers stand out amongst them all. These two are Mr. Bill Gates and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Their contributions society have been great and were based off of their personal, social and political environments. They had both sought to solve problems or issues that people faced and they were able to provide solutions and implement them. The solutions they provided all followed a creative process, which will be compared to each other, and their ideas will be critiqued to discuss what they could have done differently. Contributions to Society Mr. Bill Gates and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have both contributed to society in different ways. Bill Gates had gained immense wealth through the creation and sales of Microsoft Windows, and he is using this wealth for philanthropic reasons. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation contributes to societies throughout the world. Their contributions range from providing vaccines in Africa, to financial services for the poor in the United States. These contributions affect society as they provide better health by helping prevent illness and helping better the lives of those less fortunate. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lead the change in gaining equal civil rights for African Americans by using nonviolent civil disobedience. The Environment Mr Bill Gates and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lived in different environments which attributed to their creativity in solving problems or issues. Bill Gates was raised in a financially responsible family, and attended a preparatory school which allowed him to focus on computer programming. This environment allowed Bill Gates to excel in what he loved and create the Microsoft organization. Bill Gates gained enormous wealth through his creation of Microsoft, which he now uses for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lived in a rough environment. He grew up where African Americans where considered a lesser person and were segregated because of their race. This eventually lead Martin Luther King Jr. to take lead in the civil rights movement, which brought him to direct the march on Washington, D.C and give his â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech. Solving Problems or Issues Mr. Bill Gates and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. both address issues in society. Bill Gates addresses issues across the world, where Martin Luther King Jr. addresses civil rights issues in the United States. Bill Gates, through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, currently aids in numerous issues throughout the world. Some of the more widely known issues are support for better education in the United States, and contributions to providing vaccinations in Africa. The issues that Bill Gates seeks to solve is poor education in the United States and to prevent disease and death in developing countries. Martin Luther King Jr. had addressed the civil rights issues to help gain equal rights for African Americans in the United States by use of nonviolent civil disobedience. Solutions The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation works through funding other non-profit organizations working towards the common goal of helping impoverished people, providing health services in developing countries, and helping better the education system in the United States. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a solution to bring the people together and spread the word of equal civil rights through speech, and motivation. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at several different venues through the United States prior to the â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech in Washington, D.C. At the â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech, over 250,000 people attended and marched, showing non-violent civil disobedience. (The Nobel Foundation, 1964). Comparing the Creative Processes Bill Gate’s creative process was very simple in the fact that he has money, and wants to do good with it. His process was to create the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, find non-profit organizations that share a common goal, support them financially and repeat the process. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a more complex creative process, where he had to bring the African American people together and get the leaders of the United States to listen. Martin Luther King Jr. began by traveling the United States, speaking where civil rights of African Americans where being denied. Through his speeches and travel, he brought together the African American people and accomplished the goal of gaining equal civil rights (The Nobel Foundation, 1964). Critique of Ideas The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation can take an active role in their philanthropic ideals. The foundation currently supports other non-profit organizations that work toward the foundations goals. If Bill Gates could turn the foundation around and actively work towards their goals by doing something themselves, they may achieve greater success as other organization seeking support can follow their lead. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. should not have done anything different. His motives of showing the world that the African American people are humans too, and deserve equal civil rights was conducted in a non-violent manner and accomplished his goal to gain equal civil rights. Conclusion Mr. Bill Gates and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. have provided great contributions to society across the world and in the United States. Their environments helped bring about this desire to contribute as they had both sought to solve problems or issues faced by society. The solutions they provided all followed a creative process, which Bill Gates could have done a better job at and Martin Luther King Jr. couldn’t have done better. References Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.gatesfoundation.org/ King, M. L. (2003). I HAVE A DREAM. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/docview/394023549?accountid=35812. Ruggiero, V. R. (2009). The art of thinking: A guide to critical and creative thought (9th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Longman. The Nobel Foundation. (1964). Martin Luther King Jr. – Biographical. Retrieved from http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html

I pick number 3 in writing suggestion ( narrative assignment) Essay

I pick number 3 in writing suggestion ( narrative assignment) - Essay Example cross these understandings because people around me were starting to look trendy and ‘cool’ yet I was much similar to them but had short hair which did not quite suit who I was and what I brought to the world through my peculiar personality. When I had made known my decision to grow long hair, I faced the most criticism from my parents, friends and other family members or close relatives who had something or the other to suggest which was all negative as far as my comprehension was concerned. I became adamant that I will look good if given a chance to grow long hair but they were vehemently denying such statements that came from my folds. All of them unanimously wanted me to live my life with short hair but I exclaimed that life was only once and it was my right to live it the way I deemed it right. My parents stopped talking to me for a while because they thought rowdy boys kept long hair and it was not in keeping with their teachings and upbringing that I should be having such attire. People around me would think strange that I had turned into a rebel and adopted ways which were unbecoming of my family (Sharpe, 2003). For sometime, I had faced this criticism but then I was against what was being said and did what I wanted to do from the beginning – I grew long hair and kept them for a period of about six years. It made me feel complete because I had followed myself then and defied everyone else. Eventually, with the passage of time, I noticed that these same people found that I looked good in long hair which was a testament of my earlier decision. As far as my own self is concerned, by taking this decision I found out that I can achieve something if I remained resilient in life. It is however always advisable that I see the pros and cons of a matter before becoming either with it or against it. I found success in my endeavor because I had studied the subject beforehand and then went on analyzing it with proof of the evidence that I had determined. This

Journal opinion artical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Journal opinion artical - Essay Example Taking security measures by posting additional police personnel will serve as a stop-gap arrangement and it is not going to solve the problems on a permanent footing. Take it that using gun for violent acts is the type of negativity like smoking, drinking, drug addiction etc. Are we able to control the drug mafia? They thrive and score a march over the law-enforcing authorities and the Nation spends a huge budget in preventing smuggling of drugs across the borders. So, it is not about drafting a good law and getting it passed. In the light of the recent tragedy of massacre of 26 people, including 20 children in the age group of 5-10 years in a Connecticut Elementary School, one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history, getting the bill passed at the national level should be possible for the Obama administration. Good laws need noble individuals for implementation. So the issue of creating noble individuals attains top priority. The gun control measure, and the first flush of enthu siasm exhibited by the law enforcing authorities, may reduce the percentage of gun-ridden crimes and shootouts. I therefore, reiterate my support for it, for the simple reason that there is no other alternative. But what are the economic implications of introducing the law on gun control? According to the provisions in the intended law, each teacher will carry the gun in the class room environment. Police personnel will be posted in the campus, at a conspicuous place. This is a burden on the economy of the education system, which ultimately will be passed on to the taxpayer. When the law is implemented, will it lead to the permanent solution to the problem? Instead, it may create more problems. The attackers always have the advantage of surprise element and in a big campus if one or two police personnel are posted nothing tangible is going to happen from the security point of view. The attacker will obviously come with prior scouting of the premises and the teacher in the class, tho ugh possesses the gun, will be the sitting ducks, as she has no robotic devises with reflex actions to protect her. Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein says the bill is intended "to help end the mass-shootings that have devastated countless families and terrorized communities."(USA Law†¦) She is right. But she has not addressed to the root cause of the problem, as she will not be able to do anything about it. Senators are aware of their limitations, so are we! The issue is, those who are bent upon acquiring the guns, will get them through clandestine channels. Just look around and see how the terrorist organizations are amassing demonic weapons of their choice, including military-type assault rifles. When tempers on the issue gets cooled down, the related realities will come to the fore. Those supporting the gun ownership rights have taken a stand to oppose the bill. â€Å"Most Republican lawmakers, and even some Democratic proponents of gun ownership rights, are expected to o ppose the bill. America’s main gun rights lobby, the National Rifle Association, is already gearing up for a major legislative battle.† (USA Law†¦)Thus this law and order problem gives rise to serious economic implications as more security personnel will have to be employed at all levels. What happened at the school on the day of the shootout needs a careful and

HR Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

HR Questions - Essay Example Organizations have actually embarked a great deal of changes and expectations from the work force, which has quickened the role of HRM. Three tends that are changing the function of HRM are change management, strategic planning and training and management. These roles have relatively changed a great deal because of economic and technological changes, diversity and increasing demographics and organizational restructuring. For instance, considering socio-political polices which were considered as non-central to HRM are now doing strategic planning. Similarly, change management has to be undertaken by carefully allocating diversity within the organizations as people from different backgrounds and nationalities have become part of organizations. Q2- Describe the differences between internal equity comparisons and external equity comparisons, and explain their consequences on the organization. External equity comparisons are one, when an employer decides to pay wages to his or her work fo rce according to the pay rates implemented by other employers in the market place. For this reason, employers are expected to measure the labor markets to get an idea of how he or she will have to design wage plan. On the other hand, internal equity comparisons occur when an employer decides to pay wages to the employees, according to the nature of job, i.e. the more the work performed by a worker, the more wages he or she will earn. External equity comparisons may result in higher wages being paid to the employees, even if they have not put sufficient input in performing their assigned jobs. Whereas, internal equity comparisons create an environment, where the employer and employees both have fair portion of the money they earn for their efforts at work place. Q3- Discuss comparable worth by (1) defining it and (2) citing four potential problems in its implementation. Comparable worth is an idea, which entails that each worker should receive equal wages, regardless of the gender. C omparable worth is also known as pay equity and it allows an employer to pay equal amounts to different job titles according to their worth for the employer. The biggest problem with comparable worth is that the jobs performed by female workers are usually undervalued or do not have significant impact on the operational capacity of the organization. Moreover, implementing such systems would cause disturbance among male workers, as they will be performing tougher tasks and receiving the same amount as women. Male workers might also raise their voice against this gender discrimination. From social perspective, the individuals might also see it as an act of inequality and denial to the idea that every individual should be treated equally, regardless of the gender. Q4- Describe five reasons why merit pay programs may not help organizations increase their overall productivity. Q5- What are some issues of procedural justice that might arise in administering merit pay? In any company setup where rewards are offered by the management to employees they tend to assess these rewards on the basis of two distinct dimensions, which are namely distributive and procedural. Distributive dimension is related to the evaluation of the value of reward they have received; whereas procedural dimension is related to the assessment of the process, which is adopted by the management to decide the value of reward. Important aspects of procedural justice that may arise in administering merit pay may include 1) whether the manager or supervisor performs his duties ethically 2) whether the manager allow opportunity to employees to express their viewpoints and actually takes them into consideration 3) whether uniform standards

Fallingwater Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fallingwater - Essay Example In order to prove this thesis I visited Fallingwater and now I want to share my experience and substantiate my point of view. Fallingwater, also known as the Edgar Kaufmann house, is a building on the Bear Run at the address P.O. Box R, Mill Run, Pennsylvania 15464, in southwestern Pennsylvania in the Appalachians. Edgar Kaufmann Sr. was a successful Pittsburgh businessman and an owner of some property in the countryside with a waterfall and some cabins. When the small houses at their camp had been destroyed to the point that something had to be rebuilt, Edgar Jr. persuaded his father to hire the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Fallingwater is famous; from all over the world lots of visitors come each year to its faraway site. Fallingwater has taken pleasure to many people over the years; as an energizing weekend retreat for the Kaufmann himself and his relatives, as a source of pride to Wright and his assistants, and now--cared for by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy--as an remarkable experience for visitors from near and far.... When Wright came to the site he enjoyed the powerful sound of the falls, the vital verdure of the young forest, the dramatic rock ledges and boulders; these were elements to be reconstituted with the tenderly soaring spaces of his structure. But Wright's insight cameto the depths. He realized that people were creatures of nature, thus an architecture which suited nature would conform to what was basic in people. Forinstance, though all of Fallingwater is opened by wide bands of windows, people inside are 'safe' as in a deep cave, secure in the sense of hill behind them.The attention is paid to the outside by constructing low ceilings; no luxury in the hall but, instead, the light textures of the woodland, enframed in a great harmony. The colour of the building reminds the colorings of trees and rocks.'Occasional accents are provided by bright furnishings, like wildflowers or birds outside. The paths within the house, stairs and passages, meander without formality or urgency, and the house hardly has a main entrance; there are many ways in and out'(Fallingwater,2004 The official site of Fallingwater). Communication and privacy are both possible, as are the properties of home and the adventures of the seasons. So the trip was refreshing and I felt relaxed and calm. The active watercourse, immediate surroundings and cantilevered design of the house are considered to be in harmony, in line with Wright's interest in making buildings that were more "natural" and which therefore seemed to be more connected with their surroundings. It is important and significant as it has a large historical and aesthetic value and is an example of Modernist trends in architecture. The house represents the culture of American Modernism, and it was very interesting to dive into the epoch of the first half of 20th century. The building is connected with nature, which surrounds it and its significance is determined by symbolic meaning of eternal connection between human and nature. People who lived there or spent there weekends felt really refreshed, and as, for me, I really felt that spirit of

Girl Before Mirror by Pablo Picasso Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Girl Before Mirror by Pablo Picasso - Assignment Example Attention is mainly drawn towards the face of the girl in the painting which is a natural focal point. This is emphasized through painting one half yellow and surrounding the head with an oval of white and green that separates it from the rest of the busy pattern in the background while providing adequate visual weight that creates equilibrium in the form of the mirror. The proportions are also modified in such a manner that makes the facial attributes of the girl occupy the whole space of her head. Her head that is depicted as having yellowish hair and her half-yellow expression is portrayed as the lightest part of the picture as it is the main light source. Attention is drawn to the body that has been divided in a vertical manner, through the use of cool and pale hues that are started by darkened shapes and lines. The left half is dressed in a stripped garment, possibly a bathing suit, while the right side is bare. The manner in which the stomach is swollen suggests an element of c hildbearing as well as renewal of life. Her biology is stressed in the image that appears in the mirror as her belly is reflected in a confident manner. Attention is attracted to this part of the painting through a rapid shift in value as since the rest of the mirror image is darkened, the breasts and the belly are lighter. The painting, which is vertically oriented and standing at more than five feet, depicts the image of a girl and her reflection occupying almost the whole working area. The girl in the painting is not scale down.

Market Analysis of Coca Cola as a Global Brand Assignment

Market Analysis of Coca Cola as a Global Brand - Assignment Example The discussion seeks to answer the question: Why in the world, among the different categories and sectors of the global market, Coca Cola has happened to successfully penetrate and retain its market internationally and become the most valuable brand at the global scale level? The Coca Cola as a brand is not limited only to its Coca Cola soft drinks. As mentioned earlier, it encompasses a wide array of categories of beverages like soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, water, ready – to – drink juices, teas, as well as coffees. Moreover, Coca Cola has managed to venture their products into new opportunities through different product variants in these different categories of beverages. The Coca Cola products are not without issues. In point of fact, a worldwide hate campaign, Killer Coke, is formed against The Coca Cola Company and is calling to boycott its products. Primarily, its products are criticised for their adverse possible negative effects on health among its consumer as a carbonated and sweetened drink. It produces nothing but products detrimental to health which can lead to death. Since Coca Cola products are high in sugar and calorie content, they fuel the prevalence of obesity and diabetes in the whole world. Some of chemical components and food dyes used in these products are identified to cause cancer. Caffeine, a substance causing physical dependence, is also present in these products. Nonetheless, in the soft drink category, Pepsi, RC Cola, and other local competitor brands are just behind Coca Cola. Despite the issues faced by Coca Cola, its consumers across the globe remain loyal to the brand and the brand has managed to be on top among the other sectors of beverages. Each of the Coca Cola products is positioned to target specific market. For example, the original version of Coke is not only serving as refreshment for an individual but is seen as a special part of the modern times. It functions as means of bonding to family as well, especially when having the traditional dining. While on the one hand, Diet Coke and Coke Zero target those who are health conscious and do not want to gain additional weight due to drinking soft drinks. Coke Zero is positioned as a no sugar and no calorie version of Coke. For those who do not want to ingest caffeine, there is also Caffeine – Free Coca Cola. For those who still want a fruity taste of soda, Coca Cola has its cherry, lime, citra, light sango and orange soda variants. For those who are not into soft drinks, Coca Cola also has ventured in RTD juices like Minute Maid which is positioned as a product with real pulps of fruits like orange. Because of the pulps in Minute Maid, it is considered by the consumers as a healthy citrus drink in the beverage sector. The Coca Cola Company has a

Biomedical analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Biomedical analysis - Essay Example Similarly, the medium fat consumers had 31% higher TG levels and high fat consumers had 60% higher TG levels compared to the low fat consumers. However, there was no significant difference in HDL concentrations in blood on the basis of dietary fat consumption. The results of the present study further showed that moderate exercise (1-2 times a week) reduces total cholesterol and TG, and increases HDL slightly, thereby reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. The statistical analysis showed a direct relationship between cholesterol, TG and HDL levels in blood and diet/exercise. The results support the hypothesis diet and exercise affect cholesterol, high density lipoprotein and triglycerides in blood, and, consequently, could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Introduction Accumulation of unnecessary fat in the abdominal region of the body is considered a risk for cardiovascular disease. The key reasons for cardiovascular disease (CVD) are lack of exercise and unchecked eat ing. ... (Marshall and Bangert, 2008). Although the term lipid is sometimes used as a synonym for fats, fats are a subgroup of lipids called triglycerides. Lipids also encompass molecules such as fatty acids diets their derivatives (including tri-, di-, and monoglycerides and phospholipids) as well as other sterol- containing metabolites such as cholesterol (Harvey, 2003). The main plasma lipids include fatty acids, triglycerides, cholesterols and lipoproteins. The fatty acids are made of a hydrocarbon chain that terminates with a carboxylic acid group this arrangement confers the molecule with a polar, hydrophilic end that is insoluble in water. The fatty acid structure is one of the most fundamental categories of biological lipids, and is commonly used as a building block of more structurally complex lipids. The carbon chain, typically between 4 to 24 carbons long, may be saturated or unsaturated, and may be attached to functional groups containing oxygen, halogens, nitrogen and sulphur. Wh ere a double bond exists, there is the possibility of either a cis or trans geometric isomerism, which significantly affects the molecule’s molecular configuration. cis- double bonds cause the fatty acid chain to bend. This effect is directly proportional to the number of double bounds in the chain. This in turn plays an important role in the structure and function of cell membranes. Most naturally occurring fatty acids are of the cis configuration, although the trans form does exist in some natural and partially hydrogenated fats and oils. (Hunter, 2006). The triglyceride (TG) molecule comprises one glycerol and three fatty acid molecules. TGs,

Assessment Strategies Essay Example for Free

Assessment Strategies Essay There are two types of Assessment strategies: 1.)Formative Assessment 2.)Summative Assessment Formative Assessment is carried out at regular intervals in every teaching session so that you can monitor progress, and check that the learners are on target and are achieving the intended learning outcomes and make changes if necessary. Summative Assessment takes place at the end of a session or course and is used to assess the learning outcomes are achieved and if there were any difficulties or problems. A lesson plan prepares a lot of importance and benefits both the teacher and the learner, as a teacher it keeps you on track to accomplish the aims and objectives in a logical order. A good teacher communicates their passion for the subject they are delivering to their learners in an interesting, clear and concise manner. Not all students learn in a conventional way and as a teacher you may have to adapt as necessary to ensure learning outcomes are met. This will include different styles of teaching to engage the learner and finding the most effective way of getting the subject across to the class e.g. student participation, class activities, role playing, modelling and questioning. This will continue to motivate, engage, stimulate and promote participation in the class. The assessment stage of teaching is away of making sure as a teacher that the learner has gained the required skills and knowledge needed for them to gain the relevant qualification. Methods of assessment include written exam questions, observation, group questioning and witness testimonies. Evaluation is an essential part of their teaching cycle and is a process that ensured continious improvement in your teaching. You can achieve this by carrying out regular reviews, listening to feedback and evaluations from the learners, employers and training providers by completing the questionnaires, discussions, suggestion boxes and self-assessment audits.

Borrowings in English Essay Example for Free

Borrowings in English Essay The main period for the introduction of French words into English was after the Norman Conquest of 1066. For the next 300 or so years, the language of the royal court, and therefore of authority, was Norman, a variety of French. The ruling classes spoke what came to be known as Anglo-Norman, while the rest of the population the peasantry carried on speaking English. French quickly became the language of law and government. This carried on until about the end of the 14th century when English reasserted itself as the language of authority. But French had made its mark on English and many of its words remain in use in English today. †¢With the Normans in a position of power for so long in the British Isles it is no surprise that many English words relating to government, law, money, and warfare come from French. Latin loans are classified into the subgroups. †¢Early Latin loans. Those are the words which came into English language through the languages of the Anglo-Saxon tribes. The tribes had been in contact with Roman civilization and had adopted many Latin words denoting objects belonging to that civilization long before the invasion of the Angles, Saxons and Judes into Britain (e.g., cup, kitchen, mill, wine, port). †¢Later Latin borrowings. To this group belong the words which penetrated into English language in the sixth and seventh centuries, when the English people were converted to Christianity (e.g., priest, bishop, nun, and candle). †¢The third period of the Latin borrowings includes words which came into English due to two historical events: the Norman Conquest and the Renaissance. Some came to English language through French but some were borrowed directly from Latin (e.g., major, minor, intelligent, permanent). †¢The latest layer of Latin words. The words of this period are mainly abstract and scientific words (e.g., nylon, molecular, vaccine, phenomenon, and vacuum).

Plant Diversity and Angiosperms in India

Plant Diversity and Angiosperms in India INTRODUCTION Angiosperms or flowering plants (also called Angiospermae, Magnoliophyta, or Anthophyta) are the most diverse group of the plant kingdom, comprising of about 2,50,000 species in 350 families (Kenrick, 1999). Flowering plants are by far the most numerous, diverse, and â€Å"successful† extant plant group, containing well over 95% of all land plant species alive today (Simpson, 2006). Angiosperms are characterized by (i) seeds produced within a carpel with a stigmatic surface for pollen germination, (ii) a much reduced female gametophyte, consisting in most cases of just eight nuclei in seven cells; and (3) double fertilization, leading to the formation of a typically triploid nutritive tissue called endosperm (Judd et al., 2002). Several apomorphies distinguish the angiosperms from all other land plants: (1) the flower, usually with an associated perianth, (2) stamens with two lateral thecae, each composed of two microsporangia, (3) a reduced, 3-nucleate male gametophyte, (4) c arpels and fruit formation, (5) ovules with two integuments, (6) a reduced, 8-nucleate female gametophyte, (7) endosperm formation and (8) sieve tube members (Simpson, 2006). Some of these apomorphic features, which represent the product of a unique evolutionary event, have become further modified in particular lineages of angiosperms. Almost all angiosperms produce vessels in the xylem tissue, though this feature probably evolved within the group. Angiosperm phloem differs from that of all other plants in having sieve tube elements accompanied by one or more â€Å"companion cells† that are derived from the same mother cell. Flowering plants grow in virtually every habitable region and are dominant in some aquatic and most terrestrial ecosystems, the notable exception to the latter being coniferous forests. Angiosperms comprise the great bulk of our economically important plants, including our most valuable food crops. India with a geographical area of about 32, 87,263 sq km is the seventh largest and tenth industrialized country of the world. It is situated between 804 N to 3706 N latitude and 6807 E to 97025 E longitude. The longitudinal variation divides Indian subcontinent into four climatological zones, viz., equatorial, tropical, subtropical and warm temperate. The forest cover of the country have been estimated to be 6, 37,293 km2 (19.39% of the geographic area of the country) and includes dense forest (3, 77,358 km2), open forest (2, 55,064 km2) and mangrove (4,871 km2). India represents about 11% of world’s flora in just about 2.4% of total land mass. Out of the 25 biodiversity ‘Hotspots’ identified in the world (Myers, 1990), India has two, namely Eastern Himalaya and Western Ghats. These hotspots posses majority of plant diversity in India. In terms of species diversity, approximately 45,000 plant species are found in India (Khoshoo, 1994, 1995; Sharma et al., 1997). The angiosperms are represented by c. 17,500 species out of which 5725 species are endemic to India. About 28% of the total Indian flora and about 33% of angiosperms occurring in India are endemic (Nayar, 1996). It is roughly estimated that about 10% of flowering plant species in India are threatened and 34 plant species have been reported to be extinct (Nayar and Sastry, 1987-1990). The studies on Indian plants were first initiated by the European visitors. Even before the publication of Species Plantarum by Linnaeus (1753), Hendrik Van Rheede (1678-1703) started publication of his monumental 12 volume work ‘Hortus Malabaricus’. However, actual work on Indian flora was initiated by Roxburgh (1814, 1820- 1824) and later by Hooker and Thompson (1855). The publication of Flora of British India by Sir J.D. Hooker (1872- 1897) gave a stimulus to taxonomic studies in our country and since then several regional and state floras have been published. In 1954, Botanical Survey of India was revived with a view to make intensive studies of local flora especially to gather precise information on the identity, floristic diversity, distribution, ecological association, phenology, medicinal and economic uses of plants. India is immensely rich in biological diversity. Such richness is largely due to varied physical environment, latitude, altitude, geology and climate. The climate and altitudinal variations coupled with varied ecological habitats have contributed in the development of immensely rich vegetation wealth, and varied flora and fauna forming a very unique biodiversity. Seeing the rich plant diversity, Hooker (1904) commented that ‘The Indian flora is more varied than that of any other country of equal area in the eastern hemisphere, if not on the globe’. The Indian flora represents taxa occurring in different countries including Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, Nepal, Pakistan, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Indo-China. There are even the representatives from African, American, Australian and European countries. DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT Bio-geographical Territories in World The Indian region is one of the most diverse bio-geographic regions of the world having wide ranging topography from permanently snow covered high Himalayan ranges to plains at sea level, low lying swamps and mangroves, island systems, tropical evergreen rain forests, fertile alluvial plains, hot deserts and high altitude cold deserts. The climate ranges from tropical and sub-tropical in Indo-Gangetic plains and in the peninsular regions to temperate and arctic in the Himalayan region. Biogeographically India represents two of the major realms (Palaearctic and Indo-Malayan) and three biomes. Considering the vastness of the country and variation pattern in different areas, the country is divided into ten botanical regions with distinct bioclimatic conditions. These include: Coromandal coast, Malabar, Indus plain, Indian desert, Gangetic plain, Assam, Eastern Himalaya, Central Himalaya, Western Himalaya, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshdweep and minicoy group of islands (Mudgal and Hajra, 1997). India harbors very diverse climatic conditions and thus fosters different types of habitats. The major mountain ranges in India are the Himalaya and the Western Ghats. The Indian Himalayan region is spread over the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, and a part of Assam, along with eight districts of Uttarakhand and one district of West Bengal. Biogeographically, the Indian Himalayan region falls under Boreal Zone which has two sub-zones, viz., Sino-Siberian and Sino-Himalayan. The area can be divided into four distinct zones longitudinally: (i) the Siwalik (900 – 1500 m), (ii) the outer Himalaya (1500 – 3500 m), (iii) the middle or lesser Himalaya (3600 – 4600 m), and (iv) the Greater Himalaya (above 4,600 m). This complex mountain system consists of narrow and deep valleys, glaciers and fertile terrain. Five climatic zones can be delineated in the Himalayan region based on geographic and physiographic factors. These are: (1) Warm tropical, (2) Warm sub-tropical, (3) Cool temperate, (4) Alpine and (5) Arctic. While these are only broad zonations, there are many local variations in the climate due to precipitation, temperature, wind patterns, humidity etc. The type and nature of soils also vary vastly in the Himalayan region from deep alluvial to the thin and bare soils of the high mountains. The nature of the soil depends upon the rocks, the prevailing climatic conditions, topography and vegetation. According to Udvardy (1975), biodiversity exists on earth in 8 broad realms with 193 bio-geographical provinces. It has been estimated that world’s 12 countries Australia, Brazil, China, Columbia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru and Zaire together hold 70% of its total flowering plant diversity. These countries have been termed as â€Å"Megadiversity† countries (Mc Neely et al., 1990) Rodgers and Panwar (1990) have divided India into 10 phytogeographic zones and 24 biotic provinces. Gadgil and Meher-Homji (1990) have recognized 16 phytogeographical zones in India. On the other hand, Das (1996) has recognized 9 physiographic regions within the Indian Territory. Chowdhery and Murti (2000) have recognized 11 phytogeographic regions for India, each of which have its uniqueness in ecosystem, vegetation and floristic composition. These phytogeographic regions are: Western Himalaya, Eastern Himalaya, Gangetic plains, North East India, Semi arid and Arid regions, Deccan Plateau, Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshdweep and Coastal regions. Distribution of Angiosperms in India In India, the vascular plants form the most dominant and conspicuous vegetation cover comprising of over 17,500 species of angiosperms which represents more than 7% of the worlds known flowering plant species (Hooker, 1872-1897; Karthikeyan et al., 1989; Sharma and Balakrishnan, 1993; Sharma and Sanjappa, 1993; Sharma et al., 1993; Hajra et al., 1995; Mudgal and Hajra 1997- 1999; Singh et al., 2000; Karthikeyan, 2000). These species are distributed in more than 4000 genera occurring in diffenent ecosystems from the humid tropics of Western Ghats to the Alpine zones of the Himalayas and from Mangrooves of tidal Sunderbans to the dry desert of Rajasthan. In India, dicots are represented by 2,282 genera and 12,750 species whereas monocots are represented by 702 genera and 4,250 species. Dicots account for c. 75% of flowering plants in terms of both genera and species. On the other hand, remaining 25% is contributed by monocots. Out of 511 recognized plant families (Brummit, 1992), 320 families with more than 4000 genera are represented in the Indian flora. Of which Poaceae is the largest family with about 263 genera and more than 1200 species. In India, over 60 families of flowering plants are monotypic, e.g., Illiciaceae, Ruppiaceae, Turneraceae, Tetracentraceae, etc. Asragaluts, Carex, Dendrobium, Ficus, Habenaria, Impatiens, Primula, Rhododendron, Saussurea, Taraxacum, etc. are some of the dominant genera of flowering plants in India. Out of the estimated 17,500 species of angiosperms, approximately 15% species are trees which include some of the highly valued timber species of the world and belong to the families like Annonaceae, Dipterocarpaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Lauraceae, Moraceae, Meliaceae, Verbenaceae, etc. There are several botanical curiosities like Aeginetia indica, Balanophora dioica, Boschiniackia himalaica, Drosera, Epipogium, Galeola, Mitrastemon yamamotoi, Monotropa, Nepenthes khasiana, Pinguicula, Sapria himalayana, Utricularia spp., etc. Species in certain groups like Orchids, Bamboos, Rhododendrons, Citrus, Hedychiums, Impatiens, Pedicularis, Primulas, etc. exhibit remarkable diversity in India (Rao, 1994). Dominant angiospermic families in India are given in table1 (after Groombridge, 1992; Sharma et al., 1997). Table 1. Dominant families of dicots and monocots Insectivorous and parasitic plants The carnivorous plants (insectivorous plants) trap and digest insects to meet the requirement of nitrogen deficiency. Altogether over 450 species of carnivorous plants have been reported of which approximately 30 species occur in India. The insectivorous taxa belong to family Droseraceae (3 spp.), Nepenthaceae (1 spcies) and Lentibulariaceae (36 spp.). The parasitic plant species are prominent in Loranthaceae (46 spp.), Santalaceae (10 spp.), Balanophoraceae (6 spp.), Rafflesiaceae (1 spp.), Cuscutaceae (12 spp.) and Orobanchaceae (54 spp.). Aquatic plants About 2 percent of all flowering plants known in the world inhabit water bodies and more than 50 percent of these are represented in Indian subcontinent (Lavania et al., 1990). Some important aquatic plants families are: Alismataceae (8 spp.), Aponogetonaceae (6 spp.), Azollaceae (1 sp.), Barclayaceae (2 spp.), Butomaceae (1 sp.), Cabombaceae (2 spp.), Callitrichaceae (3 species), Isoetaceae (10 spp.), Lemnaceae (14 spp.), Najadaceae (7 spp.), Nelumbonaceae (1 sp.), Nymphaeaceae (7 spp.), Podostemaceae (24 spp.), Pontederiaceae (13 spp.), Ceratophyllaceae (3 spp.), Hydrocharitaceae (13 spp.), Potamogetonaceae (18 spp.), Ruppiaceae (1 sp.), Salviniaceae (3 spp.), Trapaceae (2 spp.), Typhaceae (4 spp.), Zannichelliaceae (1 sp.), etc. The members of families Podostemaceae and Tristichaceae grow on rocks under water in fast flowing streams. The aquatic plants in India are highly diversified comprising free-floating forms (Eichhornia crassipes, Lemna perpusila, Nymphoides hydrophylla, Trapa natans var. bispinosa, Pistia stratiotes, Wolffia microscopia, W. globosa), rooted aquatics with their foliage floating (Nymphaea nouchali, N. stellata, Euryale ferox, Nelumbo nucifera), submerged aquatics (Vallisnaria natans, Hydrilla verticillata, Najas graminea, Potamogeton pectinatus) emergent aquatics (Scirpus maritimus, Cyperus articulates, Sagittaria trifolia, S. guayanensis subsp. leppula) and marsh plants (Ranunculus scleratus, Hydrolea zeylanica, Panicum paludosum, Polygonum barbatum, P. glabrum). The aquatic flora play an important role as water purifier by absorbing heavy metals, e.g. Ceratophyllum demersum (chromium), Bacopa monnieri (copper and cadmium). Limosella aquatica, Hippuris vulgaris occur in subalpine-alpine lakes. Mangroves Mangroves are the plants that inhabit coastal regions and estuaries. They are adapted to survive under marshy conditions. In India, mangroves cover an area of approximately 6700 Km ² which constitutes c. 7 percent of the world’s mangroves. The largest stretch of mangroves in India occurs in Sunderbans (West Bengal) which covers an area of about 4200 km ². It has been designated as World Heritage site of which 80% of them are restricted to Sunderbans (West Bengal) and Andaman Nicobar islands (Chowdhery and Murti, 2000). The remaining taxa are scattered in the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and Karnataka. Some of the dominant mangrove species include Avicennia marina, A. officinalis, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, B. parviflora, Ceriops tagal, Heritiera fomes, Lumnitzera spp., Rhizophora mucronata, R. apiculata, R. stylosa, Sonneratia spp., Xylocarpus spp., etc. The shrubby Aegialitis rotundifolia and Acanthus ilicifolius are common o n poor saline plains. The herbaceous succulent halophytes are represented by Aegiceras corniculatus, Suaeda brachiata, Sesuvium portulacastrum and Salicornia brachiata. The characteristic mangrove palms are: Nypa fruticans and Phoenix paludosa. Indicator species Some species of angiosperms growing on metalliferous soils accumulate large amounts of metals in their roots and reflect the levels of metal present in the soil (indicators). For example, presence of copper is indicated by Astragalus spp., Croton roxburghii, Hyptis suaveolens, Holarrhena pubescens, Impatiens balsamina, Vernonia cinerea, and indicates presence of Uranium (Aery, 1977; Venkatesh, 1964, 1966). Diversification of Primitive and Advanced Families The primitive families are confined to those regions which are very old in geological time scale in comparison to the newly developed areas. Assam, North-east Indian region and Deccan Peninsula are older in comparison to the other phytogeographical regions of India. These regions are more or less identical in age with Sri Lanka, South West Chinese region and Malay Peninsula. The Deccan Peninsula shows its floristic relationship with Sri Lanka and Malay provinces, while the North east India shows its floristic relationship with Myanmar, South West Chinese Provinces and Malay Peninsula. Thus the Malay region shows similarity with Deccan Peninsula on one hand and North east India on the other. By this way the North East India shows similarity with Deccan Peninsula to some extent (Mitra and Mukherjee, 2006). India (Eastern Himalaya including North east India) is considered as a sanctuary of primitive flowering plants. The occurrence of such a large number of primitive angiosperms led Takhtajan (1969) to designate this region as the ‘Cradle of Flowering Plants’ where angiosperms have diversified (Table 2) Table.2. Primitive flowering plants occurring in India (after Rao, 1994) The advanced families occur in those areas which are comparatively very young in the geological time scale. On the basis of this idea it can be stated that the Himalayan region of India is very young in its age as compared to Deccan Peninsula and North East Indian regions of India, as it harbours most of the advanced families with well diversified restricted genera and species. A comparative account of diversification of primitive and advanced families of India and its adjoining area is given in table 3. The advanced families are young in their age and also they are confined to the areas which are also geologically young, they are unable to spread in the wider regions. On the other hand, primitive plant families are older in their age and also found to confined in those areas which are geologically very old. So they get sufficient time to spread over larger areas, as a result of which the primitive families show less number of restricted genera and species in their credit in comparison to the advanced families (Mitra and Mukherjee, 2006). Habitats Different ecological habitats occur in India ranging from tropical rainforest, subtropical savanna or shrublands, temperate forest, alpine mosses to xerophytic variation of desert. The habitat types vary from the humid tropical Western Ghats to the hot deserts of Rajasthan, from cold deserts of Ladakh to the long, warm cost line stretches of peninsular India. While Cherrapunji and Mawphlong in the north-eastern state of Meghalaya are the two wettest places on earth, Dras in Ladakh is the coldest inhabited place of the world. Phytogeographically, the eastern Himalaya forms a distinct floristic region. The area comprises Nepal, Bhutan, and neighboring states of northern India along a continuous sector of the Yunnan province in south-west China. In Nepal, there are around 7000 plant species, many of which overlap those of India, Bhutan and even Yunnan. Of these species, at least 500 (almost 8%) are believed to be endemic to Nepal. Bhutan possesses an estimated 5000 species, of which as many as 750 (15%) are considered to be endemic to the eastern Himalaya (Anonymous 1999). This region is the meeting ground of the Indo-Malayan, Afro-tropic and Indo-Chinese biogeographical realms as well as the Himalayan and Peninsular Indian elements, formed when the peninsular plate struck against the Asian landmass, after it broke off from Gondwana land. The region is recognized as refugium of flowering plants and center of active speciation (Rao, 1994). The numerous primitive angiosperm families found in this region inclu de Degeneriaceae, Eupomatiaceae, Himantandraceae, Lardizalbalaceae, Magnoliaceae, Trochodendraceae, Tetracentraceae, Winteraceae. The primitive genera are Alnus, Aspidocarya, Betula, Decaisnea, Euptelea, Exbucklandia, Haematocarpus, Holboellia, Houttuynia, Magnolia, Mangelietia, Pycnarrhena, and Tetracentrol (Malhotra and Hajra 1977). Regions of High Diversity India is one of the 12 mega biodiversity countries of the world. It represents an example of conglomeration of diverse bioclimates influenced by neighbouring areas (particularly Mediterranean), the unique location, peninsular land mass, Gangetic plains and the crown of complex chain of mountain systems – the Himalaya. The Himalayan region with only 18% of India’s land area, houses 81.4% of the country’s stock of gymnosperms, 47% of angiosperms, 59.5% of lichens, 58.7% of pteridophytes, 43.9% of bryophytes and 53.07% of fungi found in India. Orchidaceae with over 1331 taxa (S. Misra, 2007) is one of the dominant families and probably the second largest among all families of flowering plant known from India. Of these 407 taxa are endemic to India. Out of the 18 monotypic orchid genera of India, 13 are found in the Himalayan region. In the Eastern Himalaya, the Orchid family is the largest, with 60% species, whereas in the Western Himalaya, Asteraceae with 540 species is the largest family followed by Poaceae with 439 species and Fabaceae with 362 species. Carex with more than 100 species and infraspecific categories is the largest genus in the Himalaya. Rhododendron with 96 species and infra-specific categories, and Astragalus with 90 species, is the largest genera in the Eastern and Western Himalaya, respectively. Some other plants with pronounced diversity in the Eastern Himalaya include the Hedychium (Zingiberaceae) with 18 species out of 35 Indian species, and numerous species of bamboos. The Eastern Himalaya is a cradle of numerous primitive angiosperms, such as Manglietia and Euptelea (Magnoliaceae) and Tetracentron (Tetracentraceae). Christollea himalayensis, recorded from Mt. Camet is the flowering plant occurring at the highest altitude (6300 msl). Arceuthobium minutissimum, (small angiosperm) grows on Himalayan conifers. Apart from these botanical curios, the Himalayan region has a rich diversity of medicinal and aromatic plants. The floristic richness has also rendered the North-Eastern region and Western Ghats to be recognized as two hotspots among 25 hotspots identified throughout the world. The humid tropical conditions met within these regions not only support exceptionally diverse vegetation but have also resulted in speciation in several genera, thus adding to the high endemicity of the flora (Nayar, 1996). In addition to these two, there are about 40 other sites in different phytogeographical zones of India which have high degree of endemism and genetic diversity. Mc Neely et al. (1990) estimated that 70% of worlds total flowering plants occur in 12 countries and these have been designated as Mega diversity centres or mega ­biodiversity country. The earth’s 25 biodiversity hotspot regions collectively cover about 2% of the planet’s land surface, yet claim more than 50% of all terrestrial species diversity. They have within them a phenomenal 1, 25,635 plant species. The top 11 hotspots (out of 25) for plant endemism harbor 5000 or more species as endemics. It accounts for 93,214 plant species, or 37.3% of the total global plant endemics (Myers 1988). Western Ghats The Western Ghats, which covers an area of approximately 1, 60,000 Km ², are among the 25 biodiversity hotspots globally identified. The wide variation of rainfall patterns in the Western Ghats, coupled with the regions complex geography, produces a great variety of vegetation types. These include scrub forests in the low-lying rain shadow areas and the plains, deciduous and tropical rainforests up to about 1,500 meters, and a unique mosaic of montane forests and rolling grasslands above 1,500 meters. Based on the ecological factors and floristic composition, four major forests and 23 floristic types have been identified. Eastern Himalaya Eastern Himalaya covering the states of Sikkim, Darjeeling district of West Bengal, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland is the richest of the phytogeographic regions of India affording the highest plant/ animal diversity (Rao, 1994). This region is characterized by high rainfall and humidity. The abundant rains and high humidity contribute the occurrence of largest number of species in this region. North eastern region of India, blessed with wide range of physiography and ecoclimatic conditions, is the richest biodiversity centres of the Indian subcontinent (Hooker and Thompson, 1855; Hooker, 1905; Chatterjee, 1962; Rao, 1974). The north eastern India has a geographical area of about 2, 55,050 Km ². The rich plant wealth of this region has been reported by Hooker (1854). Further, Hooker’s work on â€Å"Flora of British India† (1872-97) and â€Å"Sketches on Flora of British India† (1905), presents a very detailed account on vegetation and flora of this region. Kanjilal et al. (1934-1940), in their â€Å"Flora of Assam† have provided a detailed account with emphasis on woody flora of this region. There are works on â€Å"Forest flora of Meghalaya† by Haridasan and Rao (1985, 1987) and â€Å"Grasses of North eastern India† by Shukla (1996). There are several genera endemic to Eastern Himalaya. Some important endemic genera are Aucuba, Bryocarpum, Pleurospermopsis, Gamblea, Lepidostemon, Parajaeschkaea, Paroxygraphis, Risleya, Sphaerosacme, Treutlera and Brachycaulos. Cyathopus is endemic to Sikkim. Some genera like Biswarea, Hymenandra, Jejosephia, Neoluffa, Pauia, etc. are endemic to North eastern India. Some important Eastern Himalayan endemic species are Abies densa, Agapetes incurvata, A. sikkimensis, Dipsacus atratus, Eriobotrya hookeriana, Geum macrosepalum, Larix griffithiana, Lindera heterophylla, Liparis perpusilla, Lloydia flavonutans, Maddenia himalica, Meconopsis grandis, M. superba, M. villosa, Myricaria albiflora, Primula whitei, Rhododendron baileyi, R. camelliaeflorum, R. ciliatum, R. glaucophyllum, R. grande, R. lantanum, R. lindleyi, R. wallichii, R .wightii, Rubus fragarioides, Sassurea conica, Acanthus leucostachys, Aconitum assamicum, Anoectochilus sikkimensis, Aeschynanthus parasiticus, Baliospermum micranthum, Berberis dasyclada, Calamus leptospadix, Calanthe densiflora, Capparis acutifolia, Cotoneaster assamensis, etc. (Chowdhery and Murti, 2000) Plant Diversity in Western Himalaya The Western Himalayan region is one of the 12 biogeographic regions of India and includes Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttaranchal. This region constitutes the alpine zone, temperate, humid and warm climatic conditions. The main portion of Western Himalaya lies in J K state comprising 67.5 Plant Diversity and Angiosperms in India Plant Diversity and Angiosperms in India INTRODUCTION Angiosperms or flowering plants (also called Angiospermae, Magnoliophyta, or Anthophyta) are the most diverse group of the plant kingdom, comprising of about 2,50,000 species in 350 families (Kenrick, 1999). Flowering plants are by far the most numerous, diverse, and â€Å"successful† extant plant group, containing well over 95% of all land plant species alive today (Simpson, 2006). Angiosperms are characterized by (i) seeds produced within a carpel with a stigmatic surface for pollen germination, (ii) a much reduced female gametophyte, consisting in most cases of just eight nuclei in seven cells; and (3) double fertilization, leading to the formation of a typically triploid nutritive tissue called endosperm (Judd et al., 2002). Several apomorphies distinguish the angiosperms from all other land plants: (1) the flower, usually with an associated perianth, (2) stamens with two lateral thecae, each composed of two microsporangia, (3) a reduced, 3-nucleate male gametophyte, (4) c arpels and fruit formation, (5) ovules with two integuments, (6) a reduced, 8-nucleate female gametophyte, (7) endosperm formation and (8) sieve tube members (Simpson, 2006). Some of these apomorphic features, which represent the product of a unique evolutionary event, have become further modified in particular lineages of angiosperms. Almost all angiosperms produce vessels in the xylem tissue, though this feature probably evolved within the group. Angiosperm phloem differs from that of all other plants in having sieve tube elements accompanied by one or more â€Å"companion cells† that are derived from the same mother cell. Flowering plants grow in virtually every habitable region and are dominant in some aquatic and most terrestrial ecosystems, the notable exception to the latter being coniferous forests. Angiosperms comprise the great bulk of our economically important plants, including our most valuable food crops. India with a geographical area of about 32, 87,263 sq km is the seventh largest and tenth industrialized country of the world. It is situated between 804 N to 3706 N latitude and 6807 E to 97025 E longitude. The longitudinal variation divides Indian subcontinent into four climatological zones, viz., equatorial, tropical, subtropical and warm temperate. The forest cover of the country have been estimated to be 6, 37,293 km2 (19.39% of the geographic area of the country) and includes dense forest (3, 77,358 km2), open forest (2, 55,064 km2) and mangrove (4,871 km2). India represents about 11% of world’s flora in just about 2.4% of total land mass. Out of the 25 biodiversity ‘Hotspots’ identified in the world (Myers, 1990), India has two, namely Eastern Himalaya and Western Ghats. These hotspots posses majority of plant diversity in India. In terms of species diversity, approximately 45,000 plant species are found in India (Khoshoo, 1994, 1995; Sharma et al., 1997). The angiosperms are represented by c. 17,500 species out of which 5725 species are endemic to India. About 28% of the total Indian flora and about 33% of angiosperms occurring in India are endemic (Nayar, 1996). It is roughly estimated that about 10% of flowering plant species in India are threatened and 34 plant species have been reported to be extinct (Nayar and Sastry, 1987-1990). The studies on Indian plants were first initiated by the European visitors. Even before the publication of Species Plantarum by Linnaeus (1753), Hendrik Van Rheede (1678-1703) started publication of his monumental 12 volume work ‘Hortus Malabaricus’. However, actual work on Indian flora was initiated by Roxburgh (1814, 1820- 1824) and later by Hooker and Thompson (1855). The publication of Flora of British India by Sir J.D. Hooker (1872- 1897) gave a stimulus to taxonomic studies in our country and since then several regional and state floras have been published. In 1954, Botanical Survey of India was revived with a view to make intensive studies of local flora especially to gather precise information on the identity, floristic diversity, distribution, ecological association, phenology, medicinal and economic uses of plants. India is immensely rich in biological diversity. Such richness is largely due to varied physical environment, latitude, altitude, geology and climate. The climate and altitudinal variations coupled with varied ecological habitats have contributed in the development of immensely rich vegetation wealth, and varied flora and fauna forming a very unique biodiversity. Seeing the rich plant diversity, Hooker (1904) commented that ‘The Indian flora is more varied than that of any other country of equal area in the eastern hemisphere, if not on the globe’. The Indian flora represents taxa occurring in different countries including Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, Nepal, Pakistan, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Indo-China. There are even the representatives from African, American, Australian and European countries. DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT Bio-geographical Territories in World The Indian region is one of the most diverse bio-geographic regions of the world having wide ranging topography from permanently snow covered high Himalayan ranges to plains at sea level, low lying swamps and mangroves, island systems, tropical evergreen rain forests, fertile alluvial plains, hot deserts and high altitude cold deserts. The climate ranges from tropical and sub-tropical in Indo-Gangetic plains and in the peninsular regions to temperate and arctic in the Himalayan region. Biogeographically India represents two of the major realms (Palaearctic and Indo-Malayan) and three biomes. Considering the vastness of the country and variation pattern in different areas, the country is divided into ten botanical regions with distinct bioclimatic conditions. These include: Coromandal coast, Malabar, Indus plain, Indian desert, Gangetic plain, Assam, Eastern Himalaya, Central Himalaya, Western Himalaya, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshdweep and minicoy group of islands (Mudgal and Hajra, 1997). India harbors very diverse climatic conditions and thus fosters different types of habitats. The major mountain ranges in India are the Himalaya and the Western Ghats. The Indian Himalayan region is spread over the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, and a part of Assam, along with eight districts of Uttarakhand and one district of West Bengal. Biogeographically, the Indian Himalayan region falls under Boreal Zone which has two sub-zones, viz., Sino-Siberian and Sino-Himalayan. The area can be divided into four distinct zones longitudinally: (i) the Siwalik (900 – 1500 m), (ii) the outer Himalaya (1500 – 3500 m), (iii) the middle or lesser Himalaya (3600 – 4600 m), and (iv) the Greater Himalaya (above 4,600 m). This complex mountain system consists of narrow and deep valleys, glaciers and fertile terrain. Five climatic zones can be delineated in the Himalayan region based on geographic and physiographic factors. These are: (1) Warm tropical, (2) Warm sub-tropical, (3) Cool temperate, (4) Alpine and (5) Arctic. While these are only broad zonations, there are many local variations in the climate due to precipitation, temperature, wind patterns, humidity etc. The type and nature of soils also vary vastly in the Himalayan region from deep alluvial to the thin and bare soils of the high mountains. The nature of the soil depends upon the rocks, the prevailing climatic conditions, topography and vegetation. According to Udvardy (1975), biodiversity exists on earth in 8 broad realms with 193 bio-geographical provinces. It has been estimated that world’s 12 countries Australia, Brazil, China, Columbia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru and Zaire together hold 70% of its total flowering plant diversity. These countries have been termed as â€Å"Megadiversity† countries (Mc Neely et al., 1990) Rodgers and Panwar (1990) have divided India into 10 phytogeographic zones and 24 biotic provinces. Gadgil and Meher-Homji (1990) have recognized 16 phytogeographical zones in India. On the other hand, Das (1996) has recognized 9 physiographic regions within the Indian Territory. Chowdhery and Murti (2000) have recognized 11 phytogeographic regions for India, each of which have its uniqueness in ecosystem, vegetation and floristic composition. These phytogeographic regions are: Western Himalaya, Eastern Himalaya, Gangetic plains, North East India, Semi arid and Arid regions, Deccan Plateau, Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshdweep and Coastal regions. Distribution of Angiosperms in India In India, the vascular plants form the most dominant and conspicuous vegetation cover comprising of over 17,500 species of angiosperms which represents more than 7% of the worlds known flowering plant species (Hooker, 1872-1897; Karthikeyan et al., 1989; Sharma and Balakrishnan, 1993; Sharma and Sanjappa, 1993; Sharma et al., 1993; Hajra et al., 1995; Mudgal and Hajra 1997- 1999; Singh et al., 2000; Karthikeyan, 2000). These species are distributed in more than 4000 genera occurring in diffenent ecosystems from the humid tropics of Western Ghats to the Alpine zones of the Himalayas and from Mangrooves of tidal Sunderbans to the dry desert of Rajasthan. In India, dicots are represented by 2,282 genera and 12,750 species whereas monocots are represented by 702 genera and 4,250 species. Dicots account for c. 75% of flowering plants in terms of both genera and species. On the other hand, remaining 25% is contributed by monocots. Out of 511 recognized plant families (Brummit, 1992), 320 families with more than 4000 genera are represented in the Indian flora. Of which Poaceae is the largest family with about 263 genera and more than 1200 species. In India, over 60 families of flowering plants are monotypic, e.g., Illiciaceae, Ruppiaceae, Turneraceae, Tetracentraceae, etc. Asragaluts, Carex, Dendrobium, Ficus, Habenaria, Impatiens, Primula, Rhododendron, Saussurea, Taraxacum, etc. are some of the dominant genera of flowering plants in India. Out of the estimated 17,500 species of angiosperms, approximately 15% species are trees which include some of the highly valued timber species of the world and belong to the families like Annonaceae, Dipterocarpaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Lauraceae, Moraceae, Meliaceae, Verbenaceae, etc. There are several botanical curiosities like Aeginetia indica, Balanophora dioica, Boschiniackia himalaica, Drosera, Epipogium, Galeola, Mitrastemon yamamotoi, Monotropa, Nepenthes khasiana, Pinguicula, Sapria himalayana, Utricularia spp., etc. Species in certain groups like Orchids, Bamboos, Rhododendrons, Citrus, Hedychiums, Impatiens, Pedicularis, Primulas, etc. exhibit remarkable diversity in India (Rao, 1994). Dominant angiospermic families in India are given in table1 (after Groombridge, 1992; Sharma et al., 1997). Table 1. Dominant families of dicots and monocots Insectivorous and parasitic plants The carnivorous plants (insectivorous plants) trap and digest insects to meet the requirement of nitrogen deficiency. Altogether over 450 species of carnivorous plants have been reported of which approximately 30 species occur in India. The insectivorous taxa belong to family Droseraceae (3 spp.), Nepenthaceae (1 spcies) and Lentibulariaceae (36 spp.). The parasitic plant species are prominent in Loranthaceae (46 spp.), Santalaceae (10 spp.), Balanophoraceae (6 spp.), Rafflesiaceae (1 spp.), Cuscutaceae (12 spp.) and Orobanchaceae (54 spp.). Aquatic plants About 2 percent of all flowering plants known in the world inhabit water bodies and more than 50 percent of these are represented in Indian subcontinent (Lavania et al., 1990). Some important aquatic plants families are: Alismataceae (8 spp.), Aponogetonaceae (6 spp.), Azollaceae (1 sp.), Barclayaceae (2 spp.), Butomaceae (1 sp.), Cabombaceae (2 spp.), Callitrichaceae (3 species), Isoetaceae (10 spp.), Lemnaceae (14 spp.), Najadaceae (7 spp.), Nelumbonaceae (1 sp.), Nymphaeaceae (7 spp.), Podostemaceae (24 spp.), Pontederiaceae (13 spp.), Ceratophyllaceae (3 spp.), Hydrocharitaceae (13 spp.), Potamogetonaceae (18 spp.), Ruppiaceae (1 sp.), Salviniaceae (3 spp.), Trapaceae (2 spp.), Typhaceae (4 spp.), Zannichelliaceae (1 sp.), etc. The members of families Podostemaceae and Tristichaceae grow on rocks under water in fast flowing streams. The aquatic plants in India are highly diversified comprising free-floating forms (Eichhornia crassipes, Lemna perpusila, Nymphoides hydrophylla, Trapa natans var. bispinosa, Pistia stratiotes, Wolffia microscopia, W. globosa), rooted aquatics with their foliage floating (Nymphaea nouchali, N. stellata, Euryale ferox, Nelumbo nucifera), submerged aquatics (Vallisnaria natans, Hydrilla verticillata, Najas graminea, Potamogeton pectinatus) emergent aquatics (Scirpus maritimus, Cyperus articulates, Sagittaria trifolia, S. guayanensis subsp. leppula) and marsh plants (Ranunculus scleratus, Hydrolea zeylanica, Panicum paludosum, Polygonum barbatum, P. glabrum). The aquatic flora play an important role as water purifier by absorbing heavy metals, e.g. Ceratophyllum demersum (chromium), Bacopa monnieri (copper and cadmium). Limosella aquatica, Hippuris vulgaris occur in subalpine-alpine lakes. Mangroves Mangroves are the plants that inhabit coastal regions and estuaries. They are adapted to survive under marshy conditions. In India, mangroves cover an area of approximately 6700 Km ² which constitutes c. 7 percent of the world’s mangroves. The largest stretch of mangroves in India occurs in Sunderbans (West Bengal) which covers an area of about 4200 km ². It has been designated as World Heritage site of which 80% of them are restricted to Sunderbans (West Bengal) and Andaman Nicobar islands (Chowdhery and Murti, 2000). The remaining taxa are scattered in the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and Karnataka. Some of the dominant mangrove species include Avicennia marina, A. officinalis, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, B. parviflora, Ceriops tagal, Heritiera fomes, Lumnitzera spp., Rhizophora mucronata, R. apiculata, R. stylosa, Sonneratia spp., Xylocarpus spp., etc. The shrubby Aegialitis rotundifolia and Acanthus ilicifolius are common o n poor saline plains. The herbaceous succulent halophytes are represented by Aegiceras corniculatus, Suaeda brachiata, Sesuvium portulacastrum and Salicornia brachiata. The characteristic mangrove palms are: Nypa fruticans and Phoenix paludosa. Indicator species Some species of angiosperms growing on metalliferous soils accumulate large amounts of metals in their roots and reflect the levels of metal present in the soil (indicators). For example, presence of copper is indicated by Astragalus spp., Croton roxburghii, Hyptis suaveolens, Holarrhena pubescens, Impatiens balsamina, Vernonia cinerea, and indicates presence of Uranium (Aery, 1977; Venkatesh, 1964, 1966). Diversification of Primitive and Advanced Families The primitive families are confined to those regions which are very old in geological time scale in comparison to the newly developed areas. Assam, North-east Indian region and Deccan Peninsula are older in comparison to the other phytogeographical regions of India. These regions are more or less identical in age with Sri Lanka, South West Chinese region and Malay Peninsula. The Deccan Peninsula shows its floristic relationship with Sri Lanka and Malay provinces, while the North east India shows its floristic relationship with Myanmar, South West Chinese Provinces and Malay Peninsula. Thus the Malay region shows similarity with Deccan Peninsula on one hand and North east India on the other. By this way the North East India shows similarity with Deccan Peninsula to some extent (Mitra and Mukherjee, 2006). India (Eastern Himalaya including North east India) is considered as a sanctuary of primitive flowering plants. The occurrence of such a large number of primitive angiosperms led Takhtajan (1969) to designate this region as the ‘Cradle of Flowering Plants’ where angiosperms have diversified (Table 2) Table.2. Primitive flowering plants occurring in India (after Rao, 1994) The advanced families occur in those areas which are comparatively very young in the geological time scale. On the basis of this idea it can be stated that the Himalayan region of India is very young in its age as compared to Deccan Peninsula and North East Indian regions of India, as it harbours most of the advanced families with well diversified restricted genera and species. A comparative account of diversification of primitive and advanced families of India and its adjoining area is given in table 3. The advanced families are young in their age and also they are confined to the areas which are also geologically young, they are unable to spread in the wider regions. On the other hand, primitive plant families are older in their age and also found to confined in those areas which are geologically very old. So they get sufficient time to spread over larger areas, as a result of which the primitive families show less number of restricted genera and species in their credit in comparison to the advanced families (Mitra and Mukherjee, 2006). Habitats Different ecological habitats occur in India ranging from tropical rainforest, subtropical savanna or shrublands, temperate forest, alpine mosses to xerophytic variation of desert. The habitat types vary from the humid tropical Western Ghats to the hot deserts of Rajasthan, from cold deserts of Ladakh to the long, warm cost line stretches of peninsular India. While Cherrapunji and Mawphlong in the north-eastern state of Meghalaya are the two wettest places on earth, Dras in Ladakh is the coldest inhabited place of the world. Phytogeographically, the eastern Himalaya forms a distinct floristic region. The area comprises Nepal, Bhutan, and neighboring states of northern India along a continuous sector of the Yunnan province in south-west China. In Nepal, there are around 7000 plant species, many of which overlap those of India, Bhutan and even Yunnan. Of these species, at least 500 (almost 8%) are believed to be endemic to Nepal. Bhutan possesses an estimated 5000 species, of which as many as 750 (15%) are considered to be endemic to the eastern Himalaya (Anonymous 1999). This region is the meeting ground of the Indo-Malayan, Afro-tropic and Indo-Chinese biogeographical realms as well as the Himalayan and Peninsular Indian elements, formed when the peninsular plate struck against the Asian landmass, after it broke off from Gondwana land. The region is recognized as refugium of flowering plants and center of active speciation (Rao, 1994). The numerous primitive angiosperm families found in this region inclu de Degeneriaceae, Eupomatiaceae, Himantandraceae, Lardizalbalaceae, Magnoliaceae, Trochodendraceae, Tetracentraceae, Winteraceae. The primitive genera are Alnus, Aspidocarya, Betula, Decaisnea, Euptelea, Exbucklandia, Haematocarpus, Holboellia, Houttuynia, Magnolia, Mangelietia, Pycnarrhena, and Tetracentrol (Malhotra and Hajra 1977). Regions of High Diversity India is one of the 12 mega biodiversity countries of the world. It represents an example of conglomeration of diverse bioclimates influenced by neighbouring areas (particularly Mediterranean), the unique location, peninsular land mass, Gangetic plains and the crown of complex chain of mountain systems – the Himalaya. The Himalayan region with only 18% of India’s land area, houses 81.4% of the country’s stock of gymnosperms, 47% of angiosperms, 59.5% of lichens, 58.7% of pteridophytes, 43.9% of bryophytes and 53.07% of fungi found in India. Orchidaceae with over 1331 taxa (S. Misra, 2007) is one of the dominant families and probably the second largest among all families of flowering plant known from India. Of these 407 taxa are endemic to India. Out of the 18 monotypic orchid genera of India, 13 are found in the Himalayan region. In the Eastern Himalaya, the Orchid family is the largest, with 60% species, whereas in the Western Himalaya, Asteraceae with 540 species is the largest family followed by Poaceae with 439 species and Fabaceae with 362 species. Carex with more than 100 species and infraspecific categories is the largest genus in the Himalaya. Rhododendron with 96 species and infra-specific categories, and Astragalus with 90 species, is the largest genera in the Eastern and Western Himalaya, respectively. Some other plants with pronounced diversity in the Eastern Himalaya include the Hedychium (Zingiberaceae) with 18 species out of 35 Indian species, and numerous species of bamboos. The Eastern Himalaya is a cradle of numerous primitive angiosperms, such as Manglietia and Euptelea (Magnoliaceae) and Tetracentron (Tetracentraceae). Christollea himalayensis, recorded from Mt. Camet is the flowering plant occurring at the highest altitude (6300 msl). Arceuthobium minutissimum, (small angiosperm) grows on Himalayan conifers. Apart from these botanical curios, the Himalayan region has a rich diversity of medicinal and aromatic plants. The floristic richness has also rendered the North-Eastern region and Western Ghats to be recognized as two hotspots among 25 hotspots identified throughout the world. The humid tropical conditions met within these regions not only support exceptionally diverse vegetation but have also resulted in speciation in several genera, thus adding to the high endemicity of the flora (Nayar, 1996). In addition to these two, there are about 40 other sites in different phytogeographical zones of India which have high degree of endemism and genetic diversity. Mc Neely et al. (1990) estimated that 70% of worlds total flowering plants occur in 12 countries and these have been designated as Mega diversity centres or mega ­biodiversity country. The earth’s 25 biodiversity hotspot regions collectively cover about 2% of the planet’s land surface, yet claim more than 50% of all terrestrial species diversity. They have within them a phenomenal 1, 25,635 plant species. The top 11 hotspots (out of 25) for plant endemism harbor 5000 or more species as endemics. It accounts for 93,214 plant species, or 37.3% of the total global plant endemics (Myers 1988). Western Ghats The Western Ghats, which covers an area of approximately 1, 60,000 Km ², are among the 25 biodiversity hotspots globally identified. The wide variation of rainfall patterns in the Western Ghats, coupled with the regions complex geography, produces a great variety of vegetation types. These include scrub forests in the low-lying rain shadow areas and the plains, deciduous and tropical rainforests up to about 1,500 meters, and a unique mosaic of montane forests and rolling grasslands above 1,500 meters. Based on the ecological factors and floristic composition, four major forests and 23 floristic types have been identified. Eastern Himalaya Eastern Himalaya covering the states of Sikkim, Darjeeling district of West Bengal, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland is the richest of the phytogeographic regions of India affording the highest plant/ animal diversity (Rao, 1994). This region is characterized by high rainfall and humidity. The abundant rains and high humidity contribute the occurrence of largest number of species in this region. North eastern region of India, blessed with wide range of physiography and ecoclimatic conditions, is the richest biodiversity centres of the Indian subcontinent (Hooker and Thompson, 1855; Hooker, 1905; Chatterjee, 1962; Rao, 1974). The north eastern India has a geographical area of about 2, 55,050 Km ². The rich plant wealth of this region has been reported by Hooker (1854). Further, Hooker’s work on â€Å"Flora of British India† (1872-97) and â€Å"Sketches on Flora of British India† (1905), presents a very detailed account on vegetation and flora of this region. Kanjilal et al. (1934-1940), in their â€Å"Flora of Assam† have provided a detailed account with emphasis on woody flora of this region. There are works on â€Å"Forest flora of Meghalaya† by Haridasan and Rao (1985, 1987) and â€Å"Grasses of North eastern India† by Shukla (1996). There are several genera endemic to Eastern Himalaya. Some important endemic genera are Aucuba, Bryocarpum, Pleurospermopsis, Gamblea, Lepidostemon, Parajaeschkaea, Paroxygraphis, Risleya, Sphaerosacme, Treutlera and Brachycaulos. Cyathopus is endemic to Sikkim. Some genera like Biswarea, Hymenandra, Jejosephia, Neoluffa, Pauia, etc. are endemic to North eastern India. Some important Eastern Himalayan endemic species are Abies densa, Agapetes incurvata, A. sikkimensis, Dipsacus atratus, Eriobotrya hookeriana, Geum macrosepalum, Larix griffithiana, Lindera heterophylla, Liparis perpusilla, Lloydia flavonutans, Maddenia himalica, Meconopsis grandis, M. superba, M. villosa, Myricaria albiflora, Primula whitei, Rhododendron baileyi, R. camelliaeflorum, R. ciliatum, R. glaucophyllum, R. grande, R. lantanum, R. lindleyi, R. wallichii, R .wightii, Rubus fragarioides, Sassurea conica, Acanthus leucostachys, Aconitum assamicum, Anoectochilus sikkimensis, Aeschynanthus parasiticus, Baliospermum micranthum, Berberis dasyclada, Calamus leptospadix, Calanthe densiflora, Capparis acutifolia, Cotoneaster assamensis, etc. (Chowdhery and Murti, 2000) Plant Diversity in Western Himalaya The Western Himalayan region is one of the 12 biogeographic regions of India and includes Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttaranchal. This region constitutes the alpine zone, temperate, humid and warm climatic conditions. The main portion of Western Himalaya lies in J K state comprising 67.5

Importance of Setting in Shirley Jacksons The Lottery :: Shirley Jackson Lottery Essays

Importance of Setting in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The setting in the beginning of The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson, creates a mood of peacefulness and tranquillity.   The image portrayed by the author is that of a typical town on a normal summer day.   Shirley Jackson uses this setting to foreshadow an ironic ending.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, Jackson begins by establishing the setting.   She tells the reader what time of day and what time of year the story takes place.   This is important to get the reader to focus on what a typical day it is in this small town.   The time of day is set in the morning and the time of year is early summer. She also describes that school has just recently let out for summer break, letting the reader infer that the time of year is early summer.   The setting of the town is described by the author as that of any normal rural community.   Furthermore, she describes the grass as "richly green" and that "the flowers were blooming profusely" (196).   These descriptions of the surroundings give the reader a serene felling about the town.  Ã‚   Also, these descriptions make the reader feel comfortable about the surroundings as if there was nothing wrong in this quaint town.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Upon reading the first paragraph, Shirley Jackson describes the town in general.   The town is first mentioned in the opening paragraph where she sets the location in the town square.   She puts in perspective the location of the square "between the post office and the bank" (196).   This visualizes for the reader what a small town this is, since everything seems to be centralized at or near the town square.   This is also key in that the town square is the location for the remaining part of the story.   The town square is an important location for the setting since the ending of the story will be set in this location.  Also, Shirley Jackson creates a comfortable atmosphere while describing the residents of the town.   First, she describes the children gathering together and breaking into "boisterous play"(196).   Also, the children are described as gathering rocks, which is an action of many normal children.   She described the men as ga thering together and talking about "planting and rain, tractors and taxes"(196).   Finally, she describes the women of this community as "exchanging bits of gossip"(196) which is a common stereotype of women.   She creates a mood for the reader of the town and residents of this town on a normal summer morning.