Home page of Renee M. Borges

In my lab we study the behavioural ecology of species interactions. Our current research falls under two major themes: plant-animal interactions and the interactions between ants and ant-mimicking spiders. We work in the areas of plant-pollinator/seed-disperser, plant-herbivore, and model-mimic interactions.

My major research interests are:

Behavioural Ecology and Plant-animal Interactions especially:

Conservation biology especially:

History and philosophy of science especially:

Some of the projects that we are currently working on:

  1. The value of bracts as visual signals to attract pollinators and the reproductive success of a distylous plant in the Western Ghats.
  2. The ecology of ant-plants and their ant associates in the Western Ghats.
  3. The behavioural and chemical ecology of the interaction between ants and their spider mimics and spider associates.
  4. The modeling of decision-making in the foraging movements of giant squirrels in a forest canopy network.
  5. The chemical ecology of the interaction between figs and their pollinators and seed dispersers (collaboration with University of Montpellier, France).

Projects to be commenced shortly:

All our projects involve a multi-disciplinary approach, and attempt to address problems at proximate and ultimate levels. Although our work is primarily behavioural, we also welcome graduate students and research associates with a chemistry, biochemistry or molecular biology background to work on chemical ecology and molecular variation in our systems.

Some selected publications:


Borges, R. M. 2003. The anatomy of ignorance or doing ecology in a fragmented landscape: do we know what really counts? Pages 56-85 in: Battles over Nature: Science and the Politics of Conservation (V.K. Saberwal and M. Rangarajan, editors). Permanent Black, New Delhi

Borges, R. M. 2002. Warring ants: Lessons from Lanchester's laws of combat? J. Biosciences 27:75-78.

Borges, R. M. 2001. Why are chillies pungent? J. Biosciences 26:289-291.

Borges, R. M. and Mali, S. 2001. Hotspots in nutrient landscapes and herbivory by giant squirrels in an Indian seasonal cloud forest. Pages 485-488 in Tropical Ecosystems: Structure, Diversity and Human Welfare. K.N. Ganeshaiah, R. Uma Shaanker and K. S. Bawa (eds). Oxford-IBH, New Delhi.

Gowda, V., Zacharias, M. Vishveshwara, and Borges, R. M. 2001. Do 'pollinator flags' aid in floral visitation in Mussaenda frondosa? Pages 207-210 in Tropical Ecosystems: Structure, Diversity and Human Welfare. K.N. Ganeshaiah, R. Uma Shaanker and K. S. Bawa (eds). Oxford-IBH, New Delhi.

Talwar, M., Zacharias, M., Gowda, V., Kapoor, V., Raychaudhuri, S., Sridhar, H., Lokhandwala, Z.and Borges, R. M. (2001). Understanding ant-avoidance behaviours in the myrmecomorphic spider Myrmarachne plataleoides, mimic of the weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina. Pages 649-653 in Tropical Ecosystems: Structure, Diversity and Human Welfare. K.N. Ganeshaiah, R. Uma Shaanker and K. S. Bawa (eds). Oxford-IBH, New Delhi.

Zacharias, M., Gaume, G, and Borges, R. M. (2001). How effective are ants in protecting the myrmecophyte Humboldtia brunonis (Fabaceae) against herbivory? Pages 645-648 in Tropical Ecosystems: Structure, Diversity and Human Welfare. K.N. Ganeshaiah, R. Uma Shaanker and K. S. Bawa (eds). Oxford-IBH, New Delhi.

Borges, R. M. 2001. The biology of laughter. Proceedings of the International Conference on Science and Metpahysics, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore.

Borges, R. M. and Mali, S. 2001. Hotspots in nutrient landscapes and herbivory by giant squirrels in an Indian seasonal cloud forest. Pages 485-488 in Tropical Ecosystems: Structure, Diversity and Human Welfare. K.N. Ganeshaiah, R. Uma Shaanker and K. S. Bawa (eds). Oxford-IBH, New Delhi.

Somanathan, H. and Borges, R. M. 2001. Nocturnal pollination by the carpenter bee Xylocopa tenuiscapa (Apidae) and the effect of floral display on fruit set of Heterophragma quadriloculare (Bignoniaceae) in India. Biotropica 33:78-89.

Somanathan, H. and Borges, R. M. 2000. Influence of exploitation on population structure, plant spacing and reproductive success in dioecious tree species within a fragmented cloud forest in India. Biological Conservation 94:243-256.

Borges, R. M. 1998. Leviathan, natural selection, and ethics. Current Science 74:750-758.

Borges, R. M. 1998. Spatiotemporal heterogeneity of food availability and dietary variation between individuals of the Malabar Giant Squirrel Ratufa indica. In: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology of Tree Squirrels (J. F. Merritt and D. A. Zegers, editors). Special Publication, Virginia Museum of Natural History, USA. Pp. 99-111.

Borges, R. M. 1998. Gender in plants. Part I. Why do plants change sex? Resonance 3 (4):64-71.

Borges, R. M. 1998. Gender in plants. Part II. More about why and how plants change sex. Resonance 3 (11):30-39.

Borges, R. M., Somanathan, H. and Mali, S. 1997. Alternations of sexes in a deciduous tree: temporal dioecy in Bridelia retusa. Current Science 72:940-944.

Borges, R. M. 1993. Figs and Malabar Giant Squirrels in two tropical forests in India. Biotropica 25: 183-190.

Borges, R. M. 1992. A nutritional analysis of foraging in the Malabar Giant Squirrel (Ratufa indica). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 47: 1-21.

Books:
Borges, R. M. 1997. Evolution - the story of life. National Council for Science and Technology, New Delhi.

Borges, R. M. The Behaviour and Ecology of the Malabar Giant Squirrel Ratufa indica. Permanent Black, New Delhi (in preparation)

Some academic involvements: