Estuaries of India : Biodiversity Ecology Conservation Management

Contents: Foreword. Preface. 1. An overview of estuaries of India with a note on fish diversity/Laishram Kosygin, D.V. Rao, Swetapadma Dash and S.S. Mishra. 2. Diversity and distribution of brachyuran crabs of Indian estuaries/M.K. Dev Roy and S. Rath. 3. Zooplankton of Indian estuaries/R.C. Panigraphy, Brajeswari Singh Samant and Rachna Panda. 4. Diversity of truflies insecta: diptera in the estuarine and coastal mangroves of India/Bulganin Mitra. 5. Mangrove associated fauna of Subarnarekha estuary Balasore Odisha/Santanu Mitra and J.G. Pattanayak. 6. Biodiversity of Rushikulya estuary in relation to hydrological parameters with a note on its conservation and management/Lakshman Nayak, Amita Kumari Mohanty, Rupanita Mohapatra and Pragnya Padhi. 7. Ecology and macro faunal diversity of Bahuda estuary Odisha India/Lakshman Nayak, Rupanita Mohapatra, Sampadalata Das, Amita Mohanty and Pragnya Padhi. 8. Biodiversity of ornamental fishes of Chilika lagoon with a note on their conservation and management/Lakshman Nayak, Pragnya Padhi, Rupanita Mohapatro, Amita Kumari Mohanty and Simanchala Das. 9. Ichthyofaunal diversity in mangrove based estuarine ecosystem of Indian Sundarbans: an in depth analysis/Samir Banerjee, Banani Mandal and Arunava Mukherjee. 10. Seasonal distribution of fish eggs of stolephorus species in Muthupettai mangroves east coast of India/J. Selvam and T. Balasubramanian. 11. Taxonomy of some edible estuarine penaeid prawns crustacea: decapoda of Odisha/S. Rath. 12. Distribution of ostracoda and the sediment characteristics of Ennore creek Tamil Nadu, Southeast Coast of India/S.M. Hussain, K. Elumalai, C. Scott Immanuel Dhas and S.P. Mohan. 13. Studies on seasonal variation of plankton and water quality from estuaries along the coast of Tamil Nadu/R. Ramanibai, P. Elayaraja and N.S. Bharathi Devi. 14. Distribution of planktonic microalgae in the estuarine and coastal regions of Kerala/Sanil Kumar, M.G.K.J. Joseph and A.V. Saramma. 15. Ecological investigations on plankton community in Muttukadu backwaters, Tamil Nadu/Chitra J. and R. Ramanibai. 16. Preliminary account on macrozoobenthos of two tidal creek estuaries in east Midnapore, West Bengal/Santanu Mitra, Chitra J. and J.G. Pattanayak. 17. Ecology of Arasalar estuary Karaikkal Southeast coast of India/S. Bragadeeswaran. 18. A baseline study of temporal and spatial variations of physico-chemical variables in gangetic delta/Abhijit Mitra, Atanu Raha, Rajrupa Ghosh and Kakoli Banerjee. 19. Effect of lead (pb) in marine alga (tetraselmis gracilis and tetraselmis chuii collected from cochin estuary/V. Madhan Chakkaravarthy. 20. Accumulation of heavy metals by seaweeds of the hooghly estuary, West Bengal India/T.K. De, M. De, P. Karmakar and S.Das. Estuaries have been very useful to men in all coastal areas of the world from time immemorial. They are very productive biologically and excellent habitats for animals like fish, shellfish, crustaceans, wading birds etc. They are ideal breeding grounds and safe resting places for the migratory animals. These wetlands also perform a host of ecological and hydrological functions that benefit mankind. They recycle and store nutrients, trap sediments, purify pollutants and form a buffer zone between coastal catchments and the marine environment. They offer enormous potential for recreation, aquaculture and transport, and play an important role in the economy of coastal populations. However, the estuaries are becoming the most neglected wetlands and there is no proper management in India. A considerable amount of industrial effluents and sewage is being released in estuaries and creeks regularly. In general, estuaries are very fragile, highly productive and sustain a rich biodiversity. Therefore, understanding of the estuarine ecosystems, and implementation of proper scientific management programmes are need for the management of estuarine resources, including fisheries. Estuaries of India is compendium of recent research made by several professors, scientists, ecologists and researchers on biodiversity and ecology of estuaries of India. It is a compilation of 20 research articles on various aspects viz., biodiversity, ecology, Iimnology, hydrology, conservation etc. Estuaries of India will be a mile-stone in the field of estuarine studies of the country as it highlights the present status of these wetlands and their bio-resources. Estuaries of India would be highly useful for scientists, ecologists, researchers, teachers, students, NGOs, decision makers, and local communities. (jacket)