Institutional Repository

Scholar@UOC is the primary academic repository of the University of Calicut.

This repository is aimed to collect, preserve and distribute the research output of the members of our University. This is an open access system hosted and managed by the University Library.

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Recent Submissions

Molecular taxonomy and phylogeny of orb weaving spiders araneae araneidae in Kerala
(St. Joseph s College (Autonomous), Irinjalakuda, 2025) Shilpa K.R; Sr.Anis K.V; Sudhikumar A.V
The family Araneidae, commonly known as orb-weaving spiders, represents the third-largestspider family in the world and the second-largest in India. These spiders inhabit a wide range ofecosystems and are distributed across all landmasses except Antarctica. Ongoing revisions arenecessitated by challenges such as extreme sexual size dimorphism, colour polymorphism, andabdominal variability among conspecifics, as well as the existence of cryptic species. This studypresents a focused investigation on the araneids of Kerala, aiming to make a substantialcontribution to the taxonomy, molecular data, and phylogenetic understanding of the group.Detailed morphological examination and barcoding of COI and H3 genes have resulted in anupdated checklist of araneids in Kerala, including 59 species belonging to 23 genera.Leviaraneus viridiventris and Chorizopesoides orientalis were reported from India for the firsttime. A total of 109 barcodes were generated, among these, 38 were new additions to GenBank.Species identity of certain morphologically challenging species and the existence of colourmorphs in Nephila pilipes were confirmed. Three pairs of cryptic species were identified.Phylogenetic trees were reconstructed using different methods such as Neighbour Joining,Maximum Parsimony, Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference. The placement andmonophyly of nephilines and zygiellines were confirmed. The monophyletic origin of Acusilas,Arachnura, Argiopinae, Bijoaraneus, Araneilla, and Plebs was revealed. The genera Araneusand Cyclosa exhibited polyphyly. The study is the first comprehensive, successful attempt todate the divergence of araneids. The present study underscores the effectiveness of COIbarcoding in species-level identification and demonstrates the value of incorporating multiplegenetic markers to resolve phylogenetic relationships.
Diversity of spider fauna in the mangrove ecosystem from the coastal regions of Kerala
(Christ College , Inrinjalakuda, 2025) Vishnu Das, E.H.; Anis, K.V; Sudhikumar, A.V
Mangroves are one of the complex ecotones that support diverse faunal assemblages. and many diversity studics have been carried out in mangroves: yet, the diversity of the order Arancac remains critically overlooked. This study systematically explores the diversity. functional composition, regional endemism, and associations with vegetation and abiotic variables. as well as the responses to selected anthropogenic pressure factors. A combination of standardised line transect method with various collection techniques yielded 191 species under 102 genera and 21 families belonging to 8 foraging guilds from the 20 mangrove patches selected from 10 districts. Araneidae and Salticidae are the dominant familics from mangrove ecosystems. Site 9 — Kollam reported as the species-rich sampling station, followed by Kannur (Site 2) and Kozhikode (Site 3). Species-poor sites were Ernakulam (Site 6) and Alappuzha (Site 7). Classic richness and diversity indices exposed significant spatial heterogeneity. with the highest diversity documented in florally complex mixed mangrove patches. Guild analysis identified orb web weavers and other hunters as dominant functional groups, reflecting substrate variability and canopy stratification. Canopy cover, temperature, and humidity played a significant role in the community composition of spiders. Even though plastic pollution is visibly significant, it hasn’t contributed much to {he community shifts of spiders in various mangrove patches. Deforestation and logging serve as the major drivers of spider assemblage in the habitat. True endemism was absent in mangroves, but the presence of site-specitic endemics emphasises the importance of habitat complexity in maintaining the healthy spider community. The study lays a foundational framework in understanding the diversity. ecological response, and site specificity in Kerala's mangrove ecosystems. Incorporating molecular techniques for species inventory, genus-based behavioural and ecological studies o unveil detailed guild composition, and an in-depth understanding of some pollution variables could ’ help to unlock the conservation potential of this overlooked group of inveriebrates.
Civil society organizations and disaster management a study of wayanad district Kerala
(Department of Political Science, University of Calicut, 2025) Anju B. Krishna; Zacaria T. V.
Wayanad is the district most prone to natural disasters in Kerala. Being located entirely in the Western Ghats and an environmentally sensitive area, natural disasters such as floods and landslides are frequent here. The 2018 floods in Kerala were a revelation that natural disasters are not limited to the capacity of government systems. During the disaster, the interventions of social organizations, in addition to the government system, were also very noticeable. The government often collaborated with voluntary organizations in rural intervention and disaster mitigation. During the disaster, voluntary organizations actively came forward to provide relief to the victims along with the government. Since they work in rehabilitation activities, financial assistance, and in various forms of social needs, it was possible to assess that changes are taking place in their working methods and approaches. It is against this background that the research titled “Civil Society Organization and Disaster Management: A Study on Wayanad District” begins. The main purpose of the study is to examine in detail the activities carried out by voluntary organizations in post-flood rehabilitation. In particular, it focuses on how they mobilized resources, who was selected as beneficiaries, and how the projects were planned and implemented. In addition, the study also assesses how effective the cooperation between voluntary organizations and government agencies in disaster management was. Sometimes, there are different opinions and criticisms about the interventions of voluntary organizations; therefore, the aim is to understand both the merits and limitations of their interventions. The study puts forward four hypotheses. First, the experiences in Wayanad demonstrate the crucial role of voluntary organizations. Second, government-non- government cooperation further strengthens disaster management. Third, while government programs are usually linear and rigid, non-government interventions often show nonlinear and sometimes sectional tendencies. Fourth, the general observation is that voluntary organizations work more effectively than government agencies because of their close relationship with the people.The research adopted a qualitative method. Interviews and surveys with affected families, local leaders, government officials, representatives of voluntary organizations, and public representatives will be used as primary data. Government reports, policy documents, scientific books, etc. will be used as secondary data collection. The importance of this study lies in highlighting the need to think of disaster management not as a government-only area, but as a collaborative effort that also includes the role of civil society. While the government provides scope and financial support, voluntary organizations provide strengths such as close ties to the people, trust, and rapid intervention. The collaboration of the two can transform post- disaster operations from being a mere response to a crisis, to a process of building long-term resilience
Development of a self learning module for enhancing legal awareness among secondary school students
(Farook Training College, 2025) Fasalul Abid, C M.; Niranjana, K.P
Legal education enhances students' understanding of democratic principles, legal rights, and responsibilities which fosters civic competence and active participation in democratic processes. Secondary school students are in a pivotal period of development, where they may encounter various legal, social, health, and psychological risks. Nowadays, school students face challenges such as cybercrimes, substance abuse, and gender-based violence. Unfortunately, the components that can create legal awareness are comparatively inadequate in our school curriculum and educational activities. An aftermath of this problem is that, our young generation is unable to understand the legal problems of day-to-day life and to respond legally. Furthermore, according to the National and State Crime Record Bureaus, the number of crimes committed against children is increasing on a daily basis. In such circumstances, it is apparent that children should be given legal awareness which becomes relevant to lead a democratic and responsible life. Thus, the study aims to construct and validate a Self Learning Module on Legal Awareness for enhancing Legal Awareness among secondary school students in Kerala. The study was carried out in four phases such as content analysis, survey phase, development of module, and experimentation. The study focused on experimental method, content analysis and survey method were adopied as a part of need analysis. The sample consisted of 783 secondary school students from 14 districts of Kerala for the survey phase and a sample of 31 secondary school students for experimentation. The content analysis of Social Science textbooks at secondary level revealed that the content on legal aspects related to children is insufficient in the textbooks.The analysis of level of Legal Awareness among secondary students indicated that secondary school students are having low level of Legal Awareness for the total sample and subgroups based on gender, locale of schools, and type of management of schools. Results also indicated that the female secondary school students have higher Legal Awareness when compared to male secondary school students. Furthermore, there is no significant difference in the mean scores of the Legal Awareness among urban and rural secondary school students as well as government and aided secondary school students. Results also indicated that the developed Self Learning Module on Legal Awareness is effective for enhancing Legal Awareness among secondary school students. Thus, legal awareness programmes can prevent the young generation from becoming victims of harassment and they can make more informed choices as well as gain greater awareness of their rights and responsibilities within a legal framework.
Political change and police representations in malayalam cinema
(Government Victoria College Palakkad, 2025) Harinarayanan, S.; Sreepriya, R.
The police are considered the state’s most powerful and significant arm, entrusted with duties such as being the guardians of the rule of law, custodians of the social order, endowed with the power to act on any dissent against the state. Cinema is an ideological and political medium, and the images and meanings it produces are rich in connotations and subtexts. This study is an attempt to understand the representation of the police in Malayalam cinema, and it aims to examine the portrayal of police in Malayalam films, focusing on the post-independence socio- political scenario. Malayalam cinema has been a reckonable cultural force over Kerala’s social modernity and has reflected the currents of Indian political reality in a significant manner. Emphasising these aspects, this thesis plans to critically analyse how the police are portrayed in Malayalam cinema. The study observes cinema and socio-political scenarios simultaneously to form specific hypotheses based on the influence of the latter on the former, resting on the premise that cinema as cultural industry is fed by and reacts to historical realities. The thesis traces the shifting regimes of authority and the diverse cinematic reflections of it across the years in Kerala. The first phase of analysis is from the early stages of Malayalam cinema to the 1990s, the next phase is from the 1990s to the 2010s, and the last phase is from 2010 onwards to the present. It closely monitors the manifestation of power to reveal the patterns of police portrayal and analyses a few cinematic narratives to argue that some landmark political junctures in Indian history have impacted cinematic representations. Theoretical concepts of Michel Foucault, Giorgio Agamben, Louis Althusser, et al. are used in the study. The hypothesis formed as part of the study indicates to, and explains the ideologies that constituted important trends in Malayalam cinema.