Community Structure and Distribution Pattern of Intertidal Invertebrate Macrofauna at Some Anthropogenically Influenced Coasts of Kathiawar Peninsula (India)

Abstract

Present communication reports the community structure and distribution pattern of intertidal invertebrate macrofauna at four shores of the Kathiawar peninsular coastline off the Arabian Sea (India). The selected shores have different levels of human activities. Present report tests three hypotheses; that is, (i) distribution of invertebrate macrofauna in these shores is influenced by space and time, (ii) abiotic factors have a profound influence on the distribution pattern of intertidal macrofaunal assemblages, and (iii) human activities influence the community structure of the intertidal invertebrate macrofauna at these shores. To test these hypotheses, spatiotemporal variations in different ecological indices were studied. A total of 60 species from six phyla were considered for the study. High species diversity was recorded during winter and monsoon seasons in almost all the shores studied. It was also evident that a few environmental factors had a cumulative influence on the distribution pattern of intertidal macrofauna. Significant spatial variations in the species diversity and evenness were also observed. Though the shores studied have similar coast characteristics and climatic conditions, they face different levels of human activities. Therefore, the observed variations in the intertidal faunal assemblage were possibly caused by anthropogenic stress.

Spatio-temporal comparison of intertidal macrofaunal communities along anthropogenically influenced Mandvi coast, Gulf of Kachchh, India

“…Such high mollusc abundance in winter was also recorded in the mangroves of Kachchh by Thivakaran and Sawale (2016) and more broadly in tropical intertidal areas by et al (2014). Moreover, other studies have reported high densities of intertidal assemblages during November to February (post-monsoon and winter) along the west coast of India (Ansari et al, 1986;Bhadja et al, 2014). Earlier studies along other coastal stretches of Kachchh had reported higher abundance and diversity figures with 51 species of macrofauna in the mangroves of Kharo creek (Thivakaran and Sawale, 2016) and abundances ranging from 4 individuals/m 2 to 2444 individuals/m 2 .…”

Short-Term Assessment on the Species Composition of Marine Molluscan Fauna in Dharmadam Island, Kannur District, Kerala

“…Author [19] recognized 17 species of molluscan fauna from Dwarka sea coast. Author [20] recorded 35 mollusc species from the coastal areas of Dwarka, Mangrol, Veraval and Kodinar. Author [21] reported a total of 44 species belonging to gastropod fauna of 17 families along the intertidal zone of ship breaking yard-Alang, Gujarat, India.…”

Relationship between grain size distribution and intertidal faunal abundance in selected stations of Someshwara, Panambur and Bengre beaches

“…important studies have been carried out on the macrobenthic ecology of various estuaries worldwide studied by Alogi (1990), Carvalho et al (2001), Herman et al (2001), Ysebaert et al (2002), Bosire (2004), in India studied by Harkantra (1975), Ansari et al, 2004, Khan et al, 2004. A total of 60 different invertebrate macrofaunal species were identified from the intertidal regions of the Kathiawar Peninsula, Gujarath by Poonam Bhadja et al (2014). The impact of environmental deterioration on the intertidal fauna has been studied by Datta et al (2010), Chakraborty (2008), Jaiswar (2005) and Venkataraman ( 2005) in intertidal beaches of Mumbai coast.…”