Thirunavukarassu Thangaradjou

New insights into DNA barcoding of seagrasses

Taxonomists find some plant genera challenging because of the few morphological differences or unclear characters among closely related species, which leads to the misidentification of taxa. DNA barcoding is an approach to identify species by using short orthologous DNA sequences, known as ‘DNA barcodes’. Concatenated rbcL and matK sequences are considered DNA barcodes for seagrasses. However, these markers are not applicable to all members of seagrasses at the species level, especially within the genus Halophila. Our previous studies indicated that the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) showed higher species resolution than the concatenated rbcL and matK sequences in the case of Halophila ovalis and closely related species. In this study, 26 ITS, two rbcL and two matK consensus sequences from 18 seagrass taxa belonging to four families collected in India, Vietnam, Germany, Croatia and Egypt were processed. Molecular ITS analysis resolved five clades. The results also indicate that the Cymodoceaceae family might be a non-monophyletic group. In conclusion, ITS could be applied as a DNA barcode for seagrasses instead of the rbcL/matK system previously proposed.

Isolation and characterization of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria from seagrass rhizosphere soil

Phosphate-solubilizing bacterial strains (6 Nos.) were isolated from the rhizosphere soils of two seagrasses (Halophila ovalis (R. Br.) Hook and Halodule pinifolia (Miki) Hartog) in the Vellar estuary. Experimental studies found that the strain PSSG6 was effective in phosphate solubilization with Phosphate Solubilization efficiency index E = 375 ± 8.54, followed by the strain PSSG5 with Phosphate Solubilization efficiency index E = 275 ± 27.3. Of the 6 strains isolated, the strains PSSG4 and PSSG5 belonged to the genus Bacillus, and PSSG1, PSSG2 and PSSG3 were identified as Citrobacter sp., Shigella sp., and Klebsiella sp., respectively, by conventional method, and PSSG6 was identified as Bacillus circulans using conventional and molecular methods.

Coral reef bleaching at Agatti Island of Lakshadweep atolls, India

A survey on coral bleaching was carried out at Agatti Island of Lakshadweep from May to June 2010. Elevated sea surface temperatures (SSTs) of the region exceeded the seasonal average and delayed the onset of monsoon, which triggered widespread bleaching of corals. The Agatti reefs showed an average of 73% bleached corals with apparent bleaching-related mortality of sea anemones (87%) and giant clams (83%). The SST increased up to 34 °C with an average maximum SST of 32.5 during the study °C period between May and June 2010. Coral reefs on the southern side of the island are fully or partially exposed to sun light during low tide in contrast to the other side. This suggests that the mortality is more likely due to the low tide exposure than exclusively due to the elevated SST. Observations indicated a clear increase in coral bleaching during April 2010, at levels higher than that in normal summer.

Integrating Indian remote sensing multi-spectral satellite and field data to estimate seagrass cover change in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

Environmental resource managers and policy makers require a reliable tool to quickly assess the spatial extent of any natural resources, including seagrasses, in order to develop management plans. Even small natural or anthropogenic disturbances can cause severe changes in the distributional pattern of seagrass meadows. Satellite imageries provide a suitable means to detect and assess such changes in space and time in remote and inaccessible areas. Present study aims to understand the distribution pattern of seagrasses after the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004 with the help of Indian Remote Sensing satellite data and in situ ground surveys with hand held GPS. As no geospatial data bases were available for the pre-tsunami period, the changes in seagrass cover were compared with the ground estimates available in the literature and also using pre-tsunami satellite data sets. The study found severe loss of seagrasses in the northern Andaman particularly in the Interview and North reef islands and in the Nicobar group of islands including Great Nicobar and Trinket islands. The investigation revealed the presence of 2,943.38 ha of seagrass covering the entire Andaman and Nicobar islands, and that 1,619.41 ha of seagrasses had been denuded during this period. The earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 2004 was the major reason for the loss of seagrasses in these islands. The seagrass spatial map generated in the present study can be used for the development of conservation and management plans and also to restore the denuded seagrasses of this region.

Long-time shoreline monitoring of the vellar estuarine complex, southeast coast of India: Using multispectral satellite data

The present study was carried out to track the path of Vellar estuary over a period of 38 years (1970–2008) and also to detect the impact of tsunami on estuarine complex of the Vellar estuary. Visual interpretation techniques were employed by using multispectral data of Landsat TM (1991) and IRS-P6 LISS III (2004, 2006, and 2008) to delineate shoreline changes in the Vellar estuarine complex. Results clearly revealed the changes that occurred along the estuarine path over the period, and severe erosion was noticed in the seaward side of the MGR Thittu and accretion, along the estuarine mouth. It is also visible that there is clear river path shift in the river course. Although the sandbar formation was seen with only little morphologic modification up to 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami that struck this coast (26 December, 2004) distorted the sandbar of the Vellar estuarine mouth; however, the 2006 satellite images confirmed that the sandbar was formed again to its original structure as that of before the tsunami.

Tracking the Phylogeny of Seagrasses: Inferred from 18S rRNA Gene and Ancestral State Reconstruction of Morphological Data

Taxonomic challenges of seagrasses were met by using 18S ribosomal subunit of ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (18S rDNA) sequence data of 14 seagrass species from India and two temperate species from Germany. The phylogenetic trees presented are based on the 18S rDNA sequence analysis of 41 nucleotide sequences including sequences obtained in the present study as well as previously published sequences of freshwater and saltmarsh plants, and seagrasses for identifying the evolutionary lineage. The 18S rDNA data indicates independent origin of temperate and tropical seagrasses with the genus Halophila as the intermediate group for both the regions. Based on the complex morphological structures the Halophila group represents the basal form among seagrasses whereas Enhalus is considered to be the most recently originated seagrass species. In that context, the marine Hydrocharitaceae group of Enhalus, Thalassia and Halophila has been proposed to be separated into two groups such as Enhalus/Thalassia and Halophila subfamilies. Hence, the present systematic studies warrant a revised taxonomy for seagrasses, which better reflects the phylogenetic results obtained from molecular and conventional data.