Dr. ANIRUDDHA MITRA

Teaching

I am teaching the following courses :

1. Ecology
2. Cell Biology
3. Chordates
4. Immunology
5. Physiology
6. Genetics
7. Evolutionary Biology
8. Animal Behavior
9. Wildlife and Conservation

Research Guidance Provided

• Dissertations completed: PhD – 1, MPhil – 2, MSc – 27, BSc – 8
• Currently guiding: MSc – 1
• Mentored summer research fellows: 2

Research Papers

1. Mitra A (2022) Hemidactylus flaviviridis (Indian House Gecko). Cannibalism. Herpetological Review 53(3): 496-497
2. Chakraborty R, Thakur TS, Chauhan R, Manzar Z, Das G, Mitra A (2021) Exploring the neural mechanisms of aversion to bitter gourd phytochemicals in insects using Drosophila. Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology 24: 749-758. doi: 10.1016/j.aspen.2021.06.009
3. Manzar Z, Dutta T, Koner AL, Mitra A (2021) Cucurbit[7]uril nanoencapsulation reduces the unpalatability of bitter phytochemicals. ACS Agricultural Science & Technology 1: 117-123. 2
4. Yanagawa A, Couto A, Sandoz J-C, Hata T, Mitra A, Ali Agha M, Marion-Poll F (2019) LPS perception through taste-induced reflex in Drosophila melanogaster. Journal of Insect Physiology 112: 39-47.
5. Saha P, Nandi AK, Unnikrishnan S, Shilpa MC, Shukla SP, Mandal S, Mitra A, Gadagkar R (2018) A route to direct fitness: natural and experimentally induced queen succession in the tropical primitively eusocial wasp Ropalidia marginata. Journal of Insect Behavior 31: 54-65.
6. Couto A, Mitra A, Thiery D, Marion-Poll F, Sandoz J-C (2017) Hornets have it: a conserved olfactory subsystem for social recognition in Hymenoptera? Frontiers in Neuroanatomy 11:48.
7. Mitra A, Palavalli Nettimi R, Ramachandran A, Saha P, Gadagkar R (2015) Males and females of the social wasp Ropalidia marginata do not differ in their cuticular hydrocarbon profiles and do not seem to use any long distance volatile mate attraction cues. Insectes Sociaux 62: 281-289. 6
8. French AS, Sellier M-J, Ali Agha M, Guigue A, Chabaud M-A, Reeb PD, Mitra A, Grau Y, Soustelle L, Marion-Poll F (2015) Dual mechanism for bitter avoidance in Drosophila. The Journal of Neuroscience 35: 3990-4004.
9. Mitra A, Ramachandran A, Gadagkar R (2014) Nestmate discrimination in the social wasp Ropalidia marginata: chemical cues and chemosensory mechanism. Animal Behaviour 88: 113-124.
10. Mitra A, Gadagkar R (2014) Dufour’s gland and cuticle in the social wasp Ropalidia marginata contain the same hydrocarbons in similar proportions. Journal of Insect Science 14: 9.
11. Mitra A, Gadagkar R (2012) Road to royalty – transition of potential queen to queen in the primitively eusocial wasp Ropalidia marginata. Ethology 118: 694-702.
12. Mitra A, Gadagkar R (2012) Queen signal should be honest to be involved in maintenance of eusociality: chemical correlates of fertility in Ropalidia marginata. Insectes Sociaux 59: 251-255.
13. Mitra A, Gadagkar R (2012) Queens and workers of the primitively eusocial wasp Ropalidia marginata do not differ in their Dufour’s gland morphology. Sociobiology 59: 875-884.
14. Mitra A, Saha P, Chaoulideer ME, Bhadra A, Gadagkar R (2011) Chemical communication in Ropalidia marginata: Dufour’s gland contains queen signal that is perceived across colonies and does not contain colony signal. Journal of Insect Physiology 57: 280-284.
15. Mitra A, Gadagkar R (2011) Can Dufour’s gland compounds honestly signal fertility in the primitively eusocial wasp Ropalidia marginata? Naturwissenschaften 98: 157-161.
16. Bhadra A, Mitra A, Deshpande SA, Chandrasekhar K, Naik DG, Hefetz A, Gadagkar R (2010) Regulation of reproduction in the primitively eusocial wasp Ropalidia marginata: on the trail of the queen pheromone. Journal of Chemical Ecology 36: 424 -431.

Review Articles

1. French A, Ali Agha M, Mitra A, Yanagawa A, Sellier M-J, Marion-Poll F (2015) Drosophila bitter taste(s). Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience 9: 58.
2. Mitra A (2014) Queen pheromone and monopoly of reproduction by the queen in the social wasp Ropalidia marginata. Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy 80: 1025-1044.
3. Mitra A (2013) Function of the Dufour’s gland in solitary and social Hymenoptera. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 35: 33-58.
4. Mitra A (2013) Cinderella’s new shoes – how and why insects change their bodies between life stages. Current Science 104: 1028-1036.

Patent Applications

1. Mitra A (2022) Device for recording locomotion. Design Application No. 370202-001, Patent Office, Kolkata.
2. Mitra A (2022) Device for recording locomotion. Design Application No. 370203-001, Patent Office, Kolkata.
3. Sharma K, Mitra A (2019) A process for production of biofuel from larvae of rice moth Corcyra cephalonica and biofuel thereof. Patent Application No. 201911037067, Patent Office, New Delhi.
4. Chaudhary Verma N, Mitra A (2019) A process for production of biofuel from the cockroach Periplaneta americana and biofuel thereof. Patent Application No. 201911407886, Patent Office, New Delhi.

Invited Talks

1. 20th December 2022 – “Why does bitter taste exist? Exploring the relation between bitterness and toxicity of compounds using Drosophila” in Indian Neurobehavior Conference, held at Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka.
2. 31st July, 7th August & 14th August, 2022 – PhD coursework of Department of Zoology, WBSU.
3. 10th June 2022 – MSc coursework of Department of Zoology, NSOU.
4. 15th December 2021 – “The taste of smell – Drosophila detects odors through taste neurons of proboscis” in International Webinar on Neurobiology of Behavior: the Challenge and the Promise for Translational Research, Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh.
5. 24th December, 2020 – PhD coursework of Department of Zoology, WBSU.
6. 23rd March, 2018 – Capacity Building Workshop on Long Term Monitoring of Himalayan Biodiversity, ZSI, Solan.
7. 13th March, 2018 – Division of Biological Sciences, IISER Mohali.
8. 30th April, 2013 – Department of Zoology, BHU, Varanasi.

International Conferences

• Oral Presentations
  1. Mitra A, Singh Thakur T, Manzar Z, Dhiman A, Chauhan R. Bitter gourd extract – an environment friendly pest control agent for repelling fruit flies. Science: Emerging Scenarios and Future Challenges, organized by Him Science Congress Association, held at NIT Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, September 8–9, 2018.
  2. Mitra A, Marion-Poll F. Volatile odorants activate taste neurons on the proboscis of Drosophila. 14th European Symposium for Insect Taste and Olfaction, held at Villasimius, Italy, September 20–25, 2015.
  3. Mitra A, Saha P, Chaoulideer ME, Bhadra A, Gadagkar R. Dufour’s gland in Ropalidia marginata: can caste and colony signals be expressed through the same set of chemicals? 16th International Congress of the International Union for the Study of Social Insects, held at Copenhagen, Denmark, August 8–14, 2010.
• Poster Presentations
  1. Mitra A. Why does bitter taste exist? International Conference on Insect Systematics and Evolutionary Biology, organized by Punjabi University Patiala and Indian Society of Evolutionary Biologists, February 16-18, 2022.
  2. Mitra A, Thakur TS, Chakraborty R, Chauhan R, Das G. Using Drosophila to understand the antifeedant and aversive effect of bitter gourd. 5th Asia Pacific Drosophila Research Conference & 4th Indian Drosophila Research Conference, held at Pune, January 6–10, 2020.
  3. Mitra A. Hymenoptera of Solan district, Himachal Pradesh. International Conference in Zoological Sciences, held at Punjabi University, Patiala, October 26–28, 2017.
  4. Mitra A, Marion-Poll F. Breaking the dichotomy between taste and smell: Drosophila melanogaster detects volatiles through taste organ. 11th Ecology and Behaviour Meeting, held at Toulouse, France, May 18–21, 2015.
  5. Mitra A, Søvik E, Barron A, Duncan J, Ben-Shahar Y. Manganese affects behavior of Drosophila melanogaster by altering biogenic amine levels in brain. 10th International Congress of Neuroethology of the International Society of Neuroethology, held at University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, August 5–10, 2012.
  6. Mitra A, Gadagkar R. Aggression and ovaries: a passage to queenship in the primitively eusocial wasp Ropalidia marginata. 12th International Behavioral Ecology Congress of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology, held at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, August 9–15, 2008.

National Conferences

• Oral Presentations
  1. Mitra A, Sharma K, Chaudhary N. Biofuel from cockroach and rice moth larva. 1st National Conference on Biotechnology & Agriculture Based Technological Interventions Towards Sustainable Rural Development, held at Brainware University, Barasat, March 14–15, 2020.
  2. Mitra A, Thakur TS, Chakraborty R, Chauhan R, Das G. Antifeedant effect of bitter gourd extract on the vinegar fly. National Seminar on Diversity in the Era of Globalization: Challenges and Management, held at Bidhannagar College, Kolkata, 22–23 February, 2020.
  3. Mitra A. Investigating the origin of bitter taste. Understanding Behaviour, held at IISER Kolkata, January 11–13, 2019.
  4. Mitra A, Marion-Poll F. Taste of smell: Drosophila melanogaster detects volatiles through taste organ. 16th French Conference on Invertebrate Neurobiology, held at CNRS, Gif sur Yvette, France, June 11–12, 2015.
  5. Mitra A, Søvik E, Barron A, Duncan J, Ben-Shahar Y. Manganese affects behavior of Drosophila melanogaster by altering biogenic amine levels in brain. Being Social – an interdisciplinary dialogue on social behaviour, held at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, June 26–28, 2013.
  6. Mitra A, Bhadra A, Deshpande S A, Chandrasekhar K, Naik D G, Hefetz A, Gadagkar R. Communication of fertility status in the primitively eusocial wasp Ropalidia marginata – role of the Dufour’s gland. 79th Annual Conference of the Society of Biological Chemists (India), held at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, December 13–15, 2010.
  7. Mitra A, Gadagkar R. Investigating the honesty of the queen pheromone: Dufour’s gland compounds and ovaries of solitary foundresses in Ropalidia marginata. Young Ecologists Talk and Interact, held at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, October 5–7, 2010.
  8. Mitra A, Bhadra A, Deshpande S A, Chandrasekhar K, Naik D G, Hefetz A, Gadagkar R. Regulation of reproduction in the primitively eusocial wasp Ropalidia marginata: on the trail of the queen pheromone. Centre for Ecological Sciences Silver Jubilee Symposium, held at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, October 22–24, 2009.
  9. Mitra A, Naik D G, Gadagkar R. Chemical difference between Dufour’s glands of queens and workers in the primitively eusocial wasp Ropalidia marginata. Student Meet on Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Science, held at National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, August 20–21, 2008.
  10. Mitra A, Gadagkar R. Transition of an aggressive potential queen to a docile queen in the primitively eusocial wasp Ropalidia marginata. 31st Annual Conference of the Ethological Society of India, held at University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, April 10–12, 2007. Poster Presentations
  1. Mitra A, Manzar Z. Understanding the origin of bitter taste. 1st Conference of the Indian Society of Evolutionary Biologists: Celebrating Ecology and Evolution in India, held at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru, October 24–25, 2019.
  2. Mitra A, Bhadra A, Deshpande S A, Chandrasekhar K, Naik D G, Hefetz A, Gadagkar R. Communication of fertility status in the primitively eusocial wasp Ropalidia marginata – role of the Dufour’s gland. 79th Annual Conference of the Society of Biological Chemists (India), held at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, December 13–15, 2010.
  3. Mitra A, Bhadra A, Deshpande S A, Chandrasekhar K, Naik D G, Hefetz A, Gadagkar R. Regulation of reproduction in the primitively eusocial wasp Ropalidia marginata: on the trail of the queen pheromone. Darwinism – a sesquicentennial celebration, held at Karnatak University, Dharwad, Karnataka, September 14–17, 2009.

1. Establishment of Butterfly Conservation Area at Sarojini Naidu College for Women, Kolkata. Funded by West Bengal Biodiversity Board, 2022-2023, Rs 1 lakh 20 thousand.
2. “Returning Taxus to the Forests and the People: a study in Shimla and Kullu Districts of the Indian Himalayan Region”. National Mission on Himalayan Studies, 2019-2021, Rs 47 lakhs.
3. “Understanding the evolution of bitter taste”. DST-SERB, Teachers Associateship for Research Excellence, 2018-2022, Rs 18 lakhs 30 thousand.
4. “TASTEVOL – The taste of volatiles: perception of odors through taste organs in Drosophila melanogaster”. Grant Agreement PIIF-GA-2012-330101, REA, EC, European Union, 2013-2015, Euros 202,405.80

1. Best oral presentation – 1st National Conference on Biotechnology & Agriculture Based Technological Interventions Towards Sustainable Rural Development (Brainware University) – 2020
2. Best oral presentation – International Conference on Science: Emerging Scenario and Future Challenges (Him Science Congress Association) – 2018
3. Fellowship, College for Life Sciences, Wissenschaftskolleg, Berlin – 2015
4. INSA Medal for Young Scientists (Indian National Science Academy) – 2013
5. Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship (REA, EC, European Union) – 2012
6. Fyssen Fellowship for postdoctoral research (Fondation Fyssen, Paris) – 2011 and 2012
7. Best poster presentation – 79thAnnual Conference of the Society of Biological Chemists (India) – 2010
8. CSIR Senior Research Fellowship – 2006
9. Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (Life Sciences) – 2004
10. CSIR Junior Research Fellowship – NET (Life Sciences) – 2003

Membership of Professional Societies

• International Society for Behavioral Ecology: 2008-2009 and 2020 onward
• Indian Society of Evolutionary Biologists: 2018 onward
• The Science Advisory Board: 2016 onward
• International Society for Neuroethology: 2012-2013
• Genetics Society of America: 2011-2012
• International Union for the Study of Social Insects: 2010-2011

Reviewed Papers for Journals

• PNAS
• PloS One
• Journal of Chemical Ecology
• Insectes Sociaux
• Frontiers in Zoology
• Ecological Entomology
• European Journal of Entomology
• Sociobiology
• Biodiversity Data Journal
• Journal of Threatened Taxa
• Current Science
• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
• Resonance
• Agricultural Science Research Journal
• Interdisciplinary Sciences – Computational Life Sciences
• Journal of Medical and Biological Research
• Peertechz Journal of Biological Research and Development

Synergistic Activities

• Organizing a Seminar on Plant-Animal Interaction, at Sarojini Naidu College for Women, Kolkata, 21st September, 2022.
• Organizing a National Webinar on Understanding Climate Change, at Sarojini Naidu College for Women, Kolkata, 5th June, 2022.
• Organizing a National Webinar on Exploring The Different Aspects Of Nature Conservation, at Sarojini Naidu College for Women, Kolkata, 28th July, 2021.
• Organizing an International Webinar on Understanding the Evolution of COVID-19: Origin, Ecology and Zoonoses, at Sarojini Naidu College for Women, Kolkata, 6th July, 2021.
• Organizing a National Conference on Environment and Natural Resource Management, at Shoolini University, Solan, 23rd to 24th February, 2017.
• Voluntary lecture at West Bengal State University, September 2013.
• Volunteered as a judge at the 17th Annual Graduate Research Symposium at Washington University in St. Louis, 18th February 2012.
• Voluntary training and teaching to summer fellows and interns at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc, Bangalore, 2004-2011.
• Organizing the Annual Symposia of the Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc, Bangalore, January 2008.
• Voluntary lecture at Presidency College, University of Calcutta, January 2007.