Microbes and Butterflies || Dr. Nitin Ravikanthachari

Описание: Expert talks - a part of the 9th Butterfly and Bee Awareness Week 2026, being organised by the Karnataka Forest Department in association with the Bangalore butterfly club .
Dr.Nitin is a broadly trained naturalist interested in evolution, ecology and genomics.
His research aims to understand the genetic mechanisms, underlying species interactions, in response to changing environments.
Dr.Nitin completed his PhD under Prof Carol Boggs at the University of South Carolina, where he studied the genetics of butterfly-host plant interactions and the genetic mechanisms underlying maladaptive oviposition behaviour in Pieris butterflies. (in PIERIS macdunnoughii). Margined white butterfly.

He is currently a post-doctoral research associate with Prof. Brandon S Cooper at the University of Montana, studying the genetic basis underlying frequency, transmission and acquisition of Wolbachia in insects (specifically Drosophila and Lepidoptera) fruit fly.

Dr,Nitin’s work on Indian butterflies has taken him to almost all parts of India. This includes, neighbouring places like the Western Ghats and Kerala as well as remote locations in the Northeastern states, Western Himalayas and even Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

His journey has been marked with several achievements.

He has authored a much acclaimed research paper titled, “The Larval Host Plants of Butterflies of the Western Ghats”

He is one of the Founder-Members of the Bangalore Butterfly Club, a citizen science initiative, to promote the awareness about butterflies as well the study and scientific documentation of Butterflies in Karnataka.

He (along with Dr. Krushnamegh Kunte) has co-authored the book – Butterflies of Bengaluru as well as a brochure on the Butterflies of Bengaluru.