Antibiotic resistance has been one of the most persistent global issue. Specifically, marine microbiomes have served as complex reservoirs of antibiotic resistant genes. Molecular advancements have enabled exploration of the uncultured microbial portion from hitherto difficult to sample niches such as deeper oceans. The Gulfs of Kathiawar Peninsula have been known for their unique properties like extreme tidal variations, different sediment textures and physicochemical variations. Pelagic sediment cores across four coordinates each of the Gulf of Kutch, Gulf of Khambhat and an open Arabian Sea were collected, processed for metagenomic sequencing and assessed for antibiotic and metal resistome. The dominant genes were mostly resistant to macrolides, glycopeptides and tetracycline drugs. Studied samples divided into three clusters based on their resistome with carA, macB, bcrA, taeA, srmB, tetA, oleC and sav1866 among the abundant genes. Samples from creek of Gulf of Kutch and mouth of Gulf of Khambhat were most diverse in resistance gene profile. Biomarkers observed include gyrA mutation conferring resistance gene in the Arabian Sea; Proteobacteria species in Gulf of Kutch and Arabian sea; while Aquificae, Acidobacteria and Firmicutes species in the Gulf of Khambhat. Region-wise differentially abundant 23 genes and 3 taxonomic biomarkers were proposed for antibiotic resistance monitoring.

Background: Significant works have been done on the diversity and distribution of porcellanids crabs in Indian coasts. The present work reports and describe porcelain crabs from the western coast of India. Result: Five species of porcelain crabs in three genera are reported from the western coast of India. Morphological descriptions with measurement of the reported species with key characters and distribution status are given. Conclusion: Petrolisthes boscii (Audouin, 1826), P. lamarckii (Leach, 1820), and P. rufescens (Heller, 1861) are commonly distributed along the studied coast. Enosteoides ornatus (Stimpson, 1858) and Pachycheles tomentosus (Henderson, 1893) sparsely occur and are firstly reported from the Gujarat coast.

An annotated checklist of sea slugs from Gujarat coastal waters was prepared, based on published literature and field observations from 2014–2019.  Ninety-five species from 62 genera belonging to 29 families were recorded.  Species are listed with synonyms and distribution status.   

Diversity and distribution study of Stomatopoda has been carried out in selected locations of Gulf of Kachchh from 2014 to 2020. Four species belonging to four genera in two families were recorded from Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat. Carinosquilla multicarinata (White, 1848) was recorded for the first time from the west coast of India. Cloridina ichneumon (Fabricius, 1798) was recorded for the first time from Gujarat coast. Gonodactylellus demanii (Henderson, 1893) was reported after 50 years from Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat, and Gonodactylus smithii Pocock, 1893 is a commonly occurring species in the intertidal zone of the Gulf of Kachchh. Species are described and illustrated with key characters and distributional status in Gulf of Kachchh. An annotated checklist of nine species of Stomatopoda occurring in Gujarat is presented.

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Coastal areas of Bhavnagar district harbors wide range of ichthyofaunal diversity and diverse fisheries resources. The fishermen in this area use wide range of fishing methods and gears, which evolved traditionally and being adept extensively in Bhavnagar coastline. Livelihood of these fishermen is almost entirely depends on mudskipper fishing and they employ three types of fishing methods to catch them i.e. direct catch through digging the burrow, stick traps around mudskipper holes, and by nylon net. Fishing by using nylon net is the most commonly used method compared to others.

The risks imposed by biological invasions on marine ecosystems are increasing worldwide. The mud crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii has recently expanded its distribution to the northeastern Baltic Sea, where low predatory pressures and the absence of functionally similar competitors favored the establishment of the species. Few studies have addressed the effects of the mud crab on Baltic benthic communities and habitats. Even fewer have looked at the consequences of the invader on habitats dominated by Fucus vesiculosus, the main habitat-forming macrophyte in the Baltic Sea. The present study experimentally analyzed, under laboratory conditions, the effects of R. harrisii on Baltic F. vesiculosus habitats and associated communities under different temperatures simulating summer and winter regimes. Our results show that the effects of the mud crab are modulated by temperature, being more pronounced under summer conditions when the metabolic demands and food intake requirements are higher. The experiment provided new insights into the capacity of R. harrisii to disrupt recruitment in native snail populations, jeopardizing the persistence of healthy populations of key grazers in F. vesiculosus habitats. Moreover, our results conclusively demonstrated the capacity of the invader to decimate native blue mussel populations. The impacts on functionally relevant invertebrates can have far-reaching ecological consequences, altering the food web and disrupting entire coastal ecosystems in the Baltic Sea.

A Callichiridae ghost shrimp species Corallianassa coutierei (Nobili, 1904) is recorded and described here for the first time from the Indian waters. Formerly, five species under the family Callichiridae were recorded from different coastal waters of India. In addition, C. coutierei was infested with several copepods. Additional description of C. coutierei with key characters and distribution status is given for this species. A comprehensive checklist of the infraorder Axiidea is prepared based on previous records from Indian waters.