CMarZ activities in India

during 2007

Vijayalakshmi R. Nair

Digitized inventory for Indian Ocean ZooplanktonDigitized inventory for Indian Ocean Zooplankton

• Prepared inventories for 250 species of zooplankton from Indian Ocean

• Each inventory covered morphological description, biogeography and ecology of species

• Can be incorporated into species page

• Out put

Calanoid copepods - 60 species

Chaetognaths - 31 species

Ostracods - 32 species

Mysids - 101 species

Pleuronectiformes - 26 species

Biodiversity of zooplankton from Andaman SeaBiodiversity of zooplankton from Andaman Sea

• Study on biodiversity of chaetognaths of the Andaman Sea completed

• Andaman Sea is one of the prominent biodiversity hotspots in Indian Ocean

• Andaman Sea has special physical features like cyclonic circulation, tropical cyclones, reduction in temperature from 50 m onwards, low salinity upto 50 m, OMZ below 100m

Oceanic and coastal locationsOceanic and coastal locations

16 stations from oceanic sector and 17 stations from coastal waters

Collections from 2003 to 2006

Oceanic : MPN (0-TT, TT-BT, BT-300 & 300-500 m)

Coastal : Bongo net (surface)

Andaman Sea Port Blair Wandoor Diglipur

Species diversitySpecies diversity

List of speciesEukrohnia fowleri Ritter-Zahony, 1909

*Krohnitta balagopali sp. nov.

Krohnitta pacifica (Aida), 1897

Krohnitta subtilis (Grassi), 1881

Pterosagitta draco (Krohn) 1853

Sagitta bedoti Beraneck, 1895

Sagitta bipunctata Quoy and Gaimond, 1827

Sagitta decipiens Fowler, 1905

Sagitta enflata Grassi, 1881

Sagitta ferox Doncaster, 1903

Sagitta hexaptera d’ Orbigny, 1843

Sagitta lyra Krohn , 1853

Sagitta maxima (Conant) 1896

Sagitta minima Grassi, 1881

*Sagitta meenakshiae sp. nov.

Sagitta neglecta Aida, 1897

Sagitta pacifica Tokioka, 1940

Sagitta pulchra Doncaster, 1903

Sagitta regularis Aida, 1897

Sagitta robusta Doncaster, 1903

20 species coming under 4 genera recorded : Oceanic – 19, Coastal – 13New Species : Krohnitta balagopali, Sagitta meenakshiae

• Phenomenal changes in chaetognath community in the Andaman Sea

• Population density reduced from 20/m3 to 9/m3 in 4 decades

• Species diversity increased from 10 to 20

• Subtle changes in community structure

• Maximum diversity at Thermocline

• Upto BT - S. enflata dominated, Below BT – S. decipiens dominated

• Surfacing of meso and bathypelagic species (S. decipiens, E. fowleri)

• Grouping of species showed 2 clusters at each stratum

Chaetognath communityChaetognath community

• Declining trend in a dominant calanoid copepod in coastal waters

• Earlier proliferated following diatom blooms and is an indicator of upwelled waters

• The species dominated in the entire shelf from 1970 to 1980 (100/m3) & reduced to 16/m3 (1998 to 2005)

• Attributed to climate change

• SST increase from the area is evident

Climate related alterations in zooplankton communityClimate related alterations in zooplankton community

• National Institute of Oceanography, Kochi recently developed barcoding facilities

• Barcoded a few chaetognath and mysid species

Training on DNA MarkerTraining on DNA Marker

• Training programme on “DNA Marker Technologies : Principles and Applications” held at NBFGR, CMFRI Campus, Kochi, 21 February 03, March 2007

• Theoretical and practical knowledge on DNA based markers including recent developments

Collaborative work for DNA barcodingCollaborative work for DNA barcoding

Upcoming eventsUpcoming events

• Comparative study on biodiversity of chaetognaths from Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal (2003-2006)

• Biodiversity of zooplankton off Alang, Gujarat, west coast of India (2008-2009)

• Barcoding of zooplankton species

• Data recovery from IIOE collections to produce further information

• Popular articles on CMarZ