Independent experts nominated by country party

Within a relatively shorter span of professional experience, Dr. Arunachalam has made notable contributions to soil ecology, ecosystem ecology, shifting agriculture and land use dynamics in the northeastern India. His doctoral research on the role of detrital mass in soil nutrient restoration in regrowing forests has led to significant conclusions about the least studied belowground components i.e., fine roots and microbial biomass. These components have a greater nutrient immobilization potential and rapid biomass turnover and thus contribute significantly to the organic matter and nutrient dynamics in the degraded and/or regenerating forest ecosystems. His further research demonstrated that such processes vary with different scales of disturbance, and ecosystems across seasons and soil depth. This work is of both basic and applied importance in restoration ecology. _x000D_
Dr. Arunachalam’s has characterized nutrient cycling patterns in hill agro-ecosystems associated with slash-and-burn agriculture (jhum), with special reference to the microbial biomass that act as both `sink’ and `source’ of plant available nutrients. His studies have revealed that the role of microbial biomass in soil organic matter and nutrient cycling increases with jhum cycle period and also with fallow age. He has also investigated the impact and after-effects of various types of disturbances such as fire, floods, felling and landslides on the soil nutrients in the region, particularly with reference to carbon and nitrogen. He has demonstrated the role of microbial biomass in nutrient retention that helps in the natural revegetation following landslides. ( full c.v with secretariat)