title: Imprint of monsoonal patterns on the fish assemblage in coastal waters of south-east India: a case study.
abstract: The composition, species richness and diversity of a coastal fish assemblage from the Kalpakkam coast of south-east India are described along with temporal distribution patterns related to seasonal fluctuations in dissolved oxygen, salinity, pH, chlorophyll-a, phytoplankton and zooplankton species richness and density. A total of 244 fish species belonging to 21 orders, 87 families and 163 genera were recorded. The fish assemblage was dominated by reef-associated species, followed by demersal species. The majority of the species (63%) are widely distributed in the western Indo-Pacific as well as in the central Indo-Pacific. Jaccard's coefficient analysis showed three distinct seasonal patterns of fish occurrence: pre-monsoon (PrM), monsoon (M) and post-monsoon (PoM). The maximum number of species was during the PrM period, followed by the PoM and M periods. Species occurrence analysis showed Sardinella longiceps to be dominant during PrM and M periods, Leiognathus dussumieri during the M period and Secutor insidiator and Secutor ruconius during the M and PoM periods. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that salinity and rainfall were the two most influential environmental factors strongly correlated with temporal variation in the fish assemblage. The physico-chemical conditions, in combination with factors such as greater food availability and shelter, might control the seasonal local distribution of the ichthyofauna in these Indian coastal waters.
authors: Environment & Safety Division, Radiological Safety & Environmental Group, Electronics Instrumentation & Radiological Safety Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu 603102, India.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Biswas
authors: K Jahir
authors: KJ
authors: Hussain
authors: N P I
authors: NP
authors: Das
authors: B C
authors: BC
authors: Russell
authors: K K
authors: KK
authors: Satpathy
authors: S S
authors: SS
authors: Mishra
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D002734:Chlorophyll; D000077194:Chlorophyll A; D005399:Fishes / Q000145:classification*; D007194:India; D010100:Oxygen / Q000032:analysis; D010839:Phytoplankton; D011891:Rain; D054712:Salinity; D012621:Seasons; D012623:Seawater / Q000032:analysis; D015048:Zooplankton
chemical_list: D002734:Chlorophyll; D010100:Oxygen; D000077194:Chlorophyll A
keywords: Kalpakkam; environmental variables; fish community; seasonal effects; species composition