Studies on the planktonic copepods calanoida scolecithricidae of the Indian Ocean

The main purpose of the Study is to outline the main distributional features of the species of the calonoid copepod family seolecithricidae in the Indian Ocean Expedition collections and to distinguish and describe their niches. In the present thesis 27 species belonging to 7 genera were identified of which 2 were new records from the Indian Ocean and one was described as a new species. In addition to the general treatment of the taxonomy, zoogeography and species diversity in relation to various environmental parameters are also attempted

Studies on meroplankton

Plankton community, drawn from a vary wide variety of animal phyla, formed the basic food supply of marine life and indicators of water mass. The term meroplankton generally referred to that portion of the zooplankton which is transient in nature, remaining rest of their lives in the nektonic or benthic environment. This group was selected for intensive studies, considering the role of meroplankton in the economy of the sea and the scarcity of literature on them from the Indian Ocean. The preser .udy besides providing information regarding the fixation and preservation !e _ iniques and biochemical aspects of tropical meroplankton, also consolidates information regarding their zoogeography in the Indian Ocean region, with a view to amplifying the limited information available from this area. The distribution studies are based on the collections made during the International Indian Ocean Expedition (1960-65), whereas the material for preservation and biochemical studies was collected from the coastal waters during 1968-1978. Salient features:- 2% of formaldehyde buffered with 2% borax, added to the plankton in the ratio of 9:1 was found the best fixative. On fixation the plankton underwent shrinkage due to loss of 15 to 87% water. Addition of antioxidants prevented colour fading. Narcotization by different specific reagents prior to fixation reduced distortions due to violent reaction and improved morphological conditions. One percent formaldehyde solution in sea water buffered with borax or neutralised with calcium carbonate perfectly preserved majority of meroplankton. Equally good was one percent propylene phenoxetol buffered with borax. Biochemical compostion of vaioous taxa showed variations according to their age class, size groups metamorphosing stage, feeding mechanism, type of organism fed and time of collection. General distribution studies of 4 meroplankton taxa - Anthozoan larvae, cirripedia larvae, sipunculoid larvae and gastropod larvae stowed abundance in the coastal areas especially during the SW monsoon period. Based on the larval distribution different zoo-geographical areas in the Indian Ocean are differentiated.

Ecobiology of helminth parasites of finfishes and shellfishes of Cochin waters with special reference to Digenetic trematodes

The great number of parasitic species of marine and brackishwater animals that have been described indicates that parasites play an important part in the ecology of the oceans and brackishwaters. Jnspite of their importance, marine and brackish parasites are probably the least known group of organisms. Considering the large number of marine and brackishwater hosts, especially in the tropics, it is no exaggeration to say that the description of marine and brackishwater parasites has hardly begun (Rohde, 1982). With this view in mind, an attempt has been made to study the ecobiology of the helminth parasites of finfishes and shellfishes of eochin waters with special reference to digenetic trematodes. The work is broadly divided into three chapters, Chapter 1 consists of a description of the study area, prevalence of infection and concurrent infections with helminth parasites, seasonal variation, host specificity> and zoogeography of digenetic trematodes; Chapter II deals with the systematics of digenetic trematodes; and Chapter III deals with studies on larval trematodes from molluscs and crustacea, adult from a molluscan host, life-cycle, biology and histopathology