Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Biodiversity of brackish water amphipods (crustacean) in two estuaries, southeast coast of India

  • Published:
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present study about the gammarid amphipods of Vellar and Uppanar estuaries was performed during two seasons (pre-monsoon and post-monsoon, 2005–2006), respectively, in nine habitats: five in the Vellar estuary and four in the Uppanar estuary. Amphipod samples were collected from sediments, oyster beds, seaweeds, sea grass, and mangroves. A total of 29 species of gammarid amphipods were collected in each area. The surface water temperature ranged from 16°C to 26°C, the salinity from 20 to 32 psu, and the pH between 7.5 and 8.3. Dissolved oxygen ranged from 5.3 to 7.8 ml/l. The maximum abundance of amphipods was observed during the pre-monsoon (July to September) in Vellar mangrove, and it was minimum during the pre-monsoon in Uppanar sea grass. It was found that several physicochemical factors, such as salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and the substrate have a marked effect on the distribution and the relative abundance of amphipods. The ranges of species diversity, richness, dominance, and evenness in the Vellar and Uppanar estuaries were 1.58–4.15, 1.82–5.29, 0–0.11, and 0.96–1, respectively. Using multivariate analyses, in each estuary, it was possible to identify different communities of amphipod species according to their habitats.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ajithkumar, T. T., Thangaradjou, T., & Kannan, L. (2006). Physico-chemical and biological properties of the Muthupettai mangrove in Tamil Nadu. Journal of Marine Biological Association of India, 48, 131–138.

    Google Scholar 

  • Asha, P. S., & Diwakar, R. (2007). Hydrobiology of the inshore waters off Tuticorin in the Gulf. Journal of Marine Biological Association of India, 49, 7–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ashok Prabu, V., Rajkumar, M., & Perumal, P. (2008). Seasonal variations in physico-chemical characteristics of Pichavaram mangroves, southeast coast of India. Journal of Environmental Biology, 29, 945–950.

    Google Scholar 

  • Balasubrahmaniyan, K. (1961). Studies in the ecology of Vellar estuary: 1. A preliminary survey of the estuarine bottom and it’s fauna conducted on 11.9.59. Journal of Zoological Society of India, 12, 209–215.

    Google Scholar 

  • Balasubrahmaniyan, K., & Srinivasan, M. (1987). Fouling organisms on oysters in Paravanar estuary. In Proceedings of the national seminar on estuarine management (pp. 511–513).

  • Balasubramanian, R., & Kannan, L. (2005). Physico-chemical characteristics of the coral reef environs of the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, India. International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 31, 265–271.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bousfield, E. L. (1978). A revised classification and phylogeny of amphipod crustaceans. Transactions of Royal Society of Canada Series, 4, 343–390.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bragadeeswaran, S., Rajasegar, M., Srinivasan, M., & Kanagarajan, U. (2007). Sediment texture and nutrients of Arasalar estuary, Karaikkal, southeast coast of India. Journal of Environmental Biology, 28, 237–240.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bray, J. R., & Curtis, J. T. (1957). An introduction of the upland forest communities of southern Wisconsin. Ecological Monographs, 27, 325–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, K. R., & Gorley, R. N. (2001). PRIMER v5: User manual. Plymouth: PRIMER-E Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, K. R., & Warwick, R. M. (1994). Changes in marine communities: An approach to statistical analysis and interpretation. Plymouth: Plymouth Marine Laboratory.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Jonge, V. N., & Postma, H. (1974). Phosphorus compounds in the Dutch Wadden Sea. Netherland Journal of Sea Research, 8, 139–153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fenchel, T. M. (1970). Studies on the decomposition of the organic detritus derived from the turtle grass Thalassia lestudinum. Limnology and Oceanography, 15, 14–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fenchel, T. M., & Kolding, S. (1979). Habitat selection and distribution patterns of five species of the amphipod genus Gammarus. Oikos, 33, 316–322.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fincham, A. A. (1969). Amphipods of the shallow water sand community in the Northern Irish Sea. Journal of Marine Biological Association of United Kingdom, 40, 1003–1024.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fincham, A. A. (1974). Intertidal sand dwelling paracarid fauna of Stewait Island. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 8, 1–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Govindasamy, C., Kannan, L., & Azariah, J. (2000). Seasonal variation in physico-chemical properties and primary production in the coastal water biotopes of Coromandel coast, India. Journal of Environmental Biology, 21, 1–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gowda, G., Gupta, T. R. C., Rajesh, K. M., Gowda, H., Lingadhal, C., & Ramesh, A. M. (2001). Seasonal distribution of phytoplankton in Nethravathi estuary, Mangalore. Journal of Marine Biological Association of India, 43, 31–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kruskal, J. B. (1964). Multidimensional scaling by optimising goodness of fit to a nonmetric hypothesis. Pscyhometrika, 29, 1–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lyla, P. S., Velvizhi, S., & Ajmal Khan, S. (1999). List of amphipods in Parangipettai coast (Southeast coast of India). Monograph series, UGC-Special Assistance Programme, CAS in Marine Biology, Annamalai University, Parangipettai (India), 38 pp.

  • Meadows, P. S. (1964a). Experiments on substrata selection of Corophium species: film and bacteria on sand particles. Journal of Experimental Biology, 41, 499–511.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meadows, P. S. (1964b). Experiments on substrata selection of Corophium volutator (pallas) depth selection and population density. Journal of Experimental Biology, 41, 677–687.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitra, A., Patra, K. C., & Panigrahy, R. C. (1990). Seasonal variations of some hydrographical parameters in a tidal creek opening into the Bay of Bengal. Mahasagar-Bulletin of National Institute of Oceanography, 23, 55–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nair, K. K. C. (1973). A note on an amphipod swarm along the south-west coast of India. Current Science, 41, 185–186.

    Google Scholar 

  • Odum, W. E., & Heald, E. J. (1975). Mangrove forests and aquatic productivity. In A. D. Hasler (Ed.), Coupling of land and water systems (pp. 129–136). Berlin: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paramasivam, S., & Kannan, L. (2005). Physico-chemical characteristics of Muthupettai mangrove environment, Southeast coast of India. International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 31, 273–278.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perumal, P. (1993). The influence of meteorological phenomena on the ecosystems of a tropical region, Southeast coast of India—A case study. Ciencias Marinas, 19, 343–351.

    Google Scholar 

  • Postma, H. (1954). Hydrography of the Dutch Wadden Sea. Archives Neerlandaises de Zoologie, 10, 405–511.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Postma, H. (1961). Transport and accumulation of suspended matter in the Dutch Wadden sea. Netherlands Journal of Sea Research, 1, 148–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Postma, H. (1967). Sediment transport and sedimentation in the estuarine environment. In G. H. Lauff (Ed.), Estuaries (Vol. 83, pp. 158–179). Washington: AAAS.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rajaram, R., Srinivasan, M., & Rajasegar, M. (2005). Seasonal distribution of physico-chemical parameters in effluent discharge area of Uppanar estuary, Cuddalore, South-east coast of India. Journal of Environmental Biology, 26, 291–297.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rajasegar, M. (2003). Physico-chemical characteristics of the Vellar estuary in relation to shrimp farming. Journal of Environmental Biology, 24, 95–101.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rajkumar, M., Perumal, P., Ashok Prabu, V., Vengadesh Perumal, N., & Thillai Rajasekar, K. (2009). Phytoplankton diversity in Pichavaram mangrove waters from south-east coast of India. Journal of Environmental Biology, 30, 489–498.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, J., & Mann, K. H. (1980). The role of isopods and amphipods in the initial fragmentation of eelgrass detritus in Novo Scotia, Canada. Marine Biology, 59, 63–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sai Sastry, A. G. R., & Chandramohan, P. (1990). Physico-chemical characteristics of Vasishta–Godavari estuary, eastcoast of India: Pre-pollution status. Indian Journal of Marine Sciences, 19, 42–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saravanakumar, A., Rajkumar, M., Sesh Serebiah, J., & Thivakaran, G. A. (2008). Seasonal variations in physico-chemical characteristics of water, sediment and soil texture in arid zone mangroves of Kachchh-Gujarat. Journal of Environmental Biology, 29, 725–732.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Satpathy, K. K. (1996). Seasonal distribution of nutrients in the coastal waters of Kalpakkam, East coast of India. Indian Journal of Marine Sciences, 25, 221–224.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schelske, C. L., & Odum, E. P. (1961). Mechanisms maintaining high productivity in Georgia estuaries. Proceedings of the Gulf Caribbean Fisheries Institute, 14, 75–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shepard, R. N. (1962). The analysis of proximities: Multidimensional scaling with an unknown distance function. Phychometrika, 27, 125–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shyamasundari, K. (1972). Studies on the tube building amphipod, Corophium triaenonyx Stebbing from Visakhapattinam. Rivista di Biologia, 65, 203–216.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sivaprakasam, T. E. (1969). Two new amphipod records from the Gulf of Mannar, India. The Cult of Sciences, 35, 71–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sridhar, R., Thangaradjou, T., Senthil Kumar, S., & Kannan, L. (2006). Water quality and phytoplankton characteristics in the Palk Bay, southeast coast of India. Journal of Environmental Biology, 27, 561–566.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stone, A. N., & Reish, D. J. (1965). The effect of freshwater runoff on a population of estuarine polychaetous annelids. Bulletin of South California Academic of Sciences, 64, 111–119.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strickland, J. D. H., & Parsons, T. R. (1972). A practical handbook of seawater analysis. Bulletin of Fisheries Research Board of Canada, 167, 311.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teal, J. M. (1962). Energy flow in a salt marsh ecosystem of Georgia. Ecology, 43, 614–624.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warwick, R. M., & Clarke, K. R. (1995). New ‘Biodiversity’ measures reveal a decrease in taxonomic distinctness with increasing stress. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 129, 301–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watkin, E. E. (1942). The macrofauna in the intertidal sand of Kames bay, Milliport, Bateshire. Transactions of Royal Society of Edinburgh, 60, 543–561.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolff, W. J. (1977). A benthic food budget for the Grevelingen estuary, the Netherlands, and a consideration of the mechanisms causing high benthic secondary production in estuaries. In B. C. Coull (Ed.), Ecology of Marine Benthos (pp. 267–280). Columbia: Belle W. Baruch Library in Marine Science, University of South Carolina Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Mayalagu Rajkumar

    Present address: Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 7th Nanhai Road, Qingdao, 266071, People’s Republic of China

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Annamalai University, Parangipettai, 608 502, Tamil Nadu, India

    Nityananda Mondal, Mayalagu Rajkumar, Sourav Kundu, P. S. Lyla & Seyed Ajmal Khan

  2. Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 7th Nanhai Road, Qingdao, 266071, People’s Republic of China

    Jun Sun

  3. Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology, Bhuj, 370 001, Gujarat, India

    Sourav Kundu

  4. UMR 5119 (CNRS-UM2-IFREMER), Equipe Adaptation Écophysiologique et Ontogenère, CC 92, Université Montpellier 2, Place E. Bataillon, 34095, Montpellier cedex 05, France

    Jean Paul Trilles

Authors
  1. Nityananda Mondal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mayalagu Rajkumar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jun Sun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sourav Kundu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. P. S. Lyla
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Seyed Ajmal Khan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Jean Paul Trilles
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mayalagu Rajkumar.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mondal, N., Rajkumar, M., Sun, J. et al. Biodiversity of brackish water amphipods (crustacean) in two estuaries, southeast coast of India. Environ Monit Assess 171, 471–486 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-009-1292-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-009-1292-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation