Ecology and Conservation of Tropical Marine Faunal Communities

"This book provides insights into various aspects of marine faunal communities in India, which are extremely diverse due to the geomorphologic and climatic variations along the Indian coasts. Consisting of 30 chapters by experts in their respective fields, it is divided into two parts: Part I: Tropical Marine Faunal Communities Part II: Ecology and Conservation Part I highlights the diversity and distribution of Foraminifera; sponges associated with seagrass; Polychaeta; Opisthobranchia; oysters; copepods; horseshoe and brachyuran crabs; echinoderms; ascidians; fishes; fish parasites; and sea mammals. Topics of Part II include the status and environmental parameters of benthos; the status of coral reefs; the invasion of snowflake coral; the recovery of bleached corals; the socioeconomics and management of dugong; marine biodiversity conservation and management in India; the assessment of the marine fauna of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act; and marine biodiversity protected areas in India. This book will serve as a valuable reference work for marine scientists, as well as for environmental managers and policy makers"--Provided by publisher Front Matter....Pages i-xix Front Matter....Pages 1-1 The Late Holocene Foraminifera from Andaman Islands, Andaman Sea, Bay of Bengal....Pages 3-18 Distribution of Live Planktonic and Benthic Foraminifera in the Shelf off Port Blair and Hut Bay, Andaman Group of Islands, India....Pages 19-42 Species Composition and Distribution of Sponges (Phylum: Porifera) in the Seagrass Ecosystem of Minicoy Atoll, Lakshadweep, India....Pages 43-54 Diversity and Distribution of Polychaetes from Tamil Nadu Coast, India....Pages 55-62 Current Status of Indian Opisthobranch Fauna....Pages 63-79 Species Diversity and Abundance of Opisthobranch Molluscs (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia) in the Coral Reef Environments of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India....Pages 81-106 Macrofaunal Diversity Assemblage of Edible Oyster Bed ( Crassostrea madrasensis ) in Vellar Estuary....Pages 107-116 Diversity and Abundance of Marine Copepods in Muthupet Mangrove Waters, Southeast Coast of India....Pages 117-136 Assessment of the Population Status and Threats to the Horseshoe Crabs Along the Northern East Coast of India....Pages 137-146 Diversity and Distribution of Marine Brachyuran Crab Communities Inhabiting West Coast of India....Pages 147-169 Diversity and Community Structure of Brachyuran Crabs in North Andaman....Pages 171-181 Present Status and Distribution of Echinoderms in Reef Communities of Nicobar Islands, India....Pages 183-195 Diversity and Distribution of Echinoderms in Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, Southern India....Pages 197-212 Diversity of Ascidians from the Gulf of Mannar....Pages 213-229 Fish Fauna of Andaman and Nicobar Islands: A Review....Pages 231-243 Coastal Marine Fish Fauna of East Coast of India....Pages 245-260 Deep-Sea Fish Distribution Along the South-West Region of Indian EEZ....Pages 261-281 Distribution and Abundance of the Marine Fish Parasite from Coromandel Coast of Tamil Nadu....Pages 283-296 Diversity and Distribution of Reef Fishes in Gulf of Mannar Islands, India....Pages 297-310 Abundance of Olive Ridleys Along Odisha Coast: Sources of Mortality and Relative Importance of Fisheries Impacts....Pages 311-321 Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Sightings of Marine Mammals in Bay of Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Waters....Pages 323-330 Front Matter....Pages 331-331 Status of the Benthos and its Environmental Parameters in Redskin Island, Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, Andaman and Nicobar Islands....Pages 333-349 Present Status of Coral Reefs in India....Pages 351-379 An Invasion of Snowflake Coral Carijoa riisei (Duchassaing and Michelotti 1860) in Indian Seas: Threats to Coral Reef Ecosystem....Pages 381-393 Studies on the Recovery of Bleached Corals in Andaman: Fishes as Indicators of Reef Health....Pages 395-407 Artisanal Octopus Fishery: Socio-Economics and Management....Pages 409-418 Status and Conservation of Dugong dugon in India: Strategies for Species Recovery....Pages 419-432 Marine Biodiversity Conservation and Management in India....Pages 433-449 An Assessment of Marine Fauna of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 in Curio Trade in India: A Market Study....Pages 451-461 Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Protected Areas in India: Challenges and Way Forward....Pages 463-476 Erratum to: Coastal Marine Fish Fauna of East Coast of India....Pages E1-E1 Back Matter....Pages 477-481