Ecology of Faunal Communities on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, consist of 572 islands with a land area of 8,249 km 2 . Their topography is hilly and undulating, with elevations up to 732 m on the Andaman and up to 568 m on the Nicobar Islands. They are known for their rich biodiversity and a very high degree of endemicity in all taxa, especially in plants, reptiles, fishes and corals. Their habitats include bays, mangroves, moist deciduous forests and evergreen forests. Comprising 20 chapters each written by an expert or professional in his/her particular field this book offers new insights into the fascinating faunal communities of these islands and provides the fundamentals for their conservation and environmental management. Front Matter....Pages i-xvi Polychaetes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands....Pages 1-22 Status of the Benthos and Its Environment in Jolly Buoy Island, Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands....Pages 23-48 Intertidal Distribution of the Coral-Boring Barnacle Lithotrya nicobarica Reinhardt, 1850 in the Great Nicobar Island....Pages 49-57 Coral-Boring Fauna of the Great Nicobar Island....Pages 59-70 On the Recurrence of Coral Bleaching and Recovery in North Bay, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands....Pages 71-84 Status and Distribution of Trochus niloticus (Linnaeus 1767) in Andaman and Nicobar Islands....Pages 85-102 Ichthyofaunal Diversity in Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve....Pages 103-116 Diversity and Abundance of Chondrichthian Fishes in Andaman and Nicobar Islands....Pages 117-126 Structure of Reef Fish Communities of Seven Islands of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India....Pages 127-147 Seaweed Distribution in South and Little Andaman....Pages 149-158 Diversity of Butterflies in Ritchie’s Archipelago, Andaman and Nicobar Islands....Pages 159-176 Diversity and Distribution of Corals and Their Associated Fauna of Rani Jhansi Marine National Park, Andaman and Nicobar Islands....Pages 177-208 Diversity and Distribution of Odonates in Ritchie’s Archipelago, Andaman and Nicobar Islands....Pages 209-218 Butterflies and Birds of Chidiyatapu Biological Park, South Andaman....Pages 219-229 Social Organisation of the Nicobar Megapode Megapodius nicobariensis (Galliformes) in the Great Nicobar Island....Pages 231-249 Habitat Preference of the Nicobar Megapode Megapodius nicobariensis in the Great Nicobar Island, India....Pages 251-262 Ecology and Conservation of the Narcondam Hornbill, Aceros narcondami , in Andaman and Nicobar Islands....Pages 263-272 Abundance and Species Distribution of Bird Communities in Ritchie’s Archipelago, Andaman and Nicobar Islands....Pages 273-288 Diversity and Conservation of Indigenous Poultry Germplasm of Andaman and Nicobar Islands....Pages 289-311 Diversity and Conservation of Farm Animal Genetic Resources (FAnGR) of Andaman and Nicobar Islands....Pages 313-336 Back Matter....Pages 337-340 Annotation. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, consist of 572 islands with a land area of 8,249 km2. Their topography is hilly and undulating, with elevations up to 732 m on the Andaman and up to 568 m on the Nicobar Islands. They are known for their rich biodiversity and a very high degree of endemicity in all taxa, especially in plants, reptiles, fishes and corals. Their habitats include bays, mangroves, moist deciduous forests and evergreen forests. Comprising 20 chapters each written by an expert or professional in his/her particular field this book offers new insights into the fascinating faunal communities of these islands and provides the fundamentals for their conservation and environmental management