(1)
Anuradha Bhat (2000). Fish germplasm inventory of Sharavati,
Aghanashini, Bedti and Kali
Rivers, Uttara Kannada.pp. 148-151. In: Ponniah, A.G. and
Gopalakrishnan,
A (Eds.). Endemic Fish Diversity of Western Ghats. NBFGR- NATP
Publication-
1, 347 p. National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Lucknow, U.P.,
India.
(2) Anuradha Bhat (2001). New report
of the species, Horabagrus brachysoma in the Uttara Kannada
District of Karnataka. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society,
Vol. 98 (2): 294-296. (PDF file)
Abstract
Horabagrus brachysoma Jayaram, a rare catfish
belonging to the family Bagridae has so far been reported in
the backwater areas of Kerala. This paper extends the geographical
range
of this species farther north of Kerala upto the northern parts of
Karnataka. The study was conducted in four river ecosystems of the
Uttara Kannada District of Karnataka. Specimens of this species of
catfish were found
in downstream as well as midstream reaches of the two rivers Kali
and Aghanashini.
(3) Anuradha Bhat and K.C. Jayaram
(2004). A new species of the genus Batasio Blyth
(Siluriformes:Bagridae) from Sharavati River, Uttara Kannada, Karnataka
State. Zoos' Print Journal, 19 (2): 1339 - 1342. (PDF
file)
Abstract
Batasio sharavatiensis, new species is described from the River
Sharavati, Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka state, SW India. It
differs from all other known 30 bagrid genera in the combination of
characters of having a long adipose dorsal fin almost adnate to the
caudal fin, but separated by a narrow notch, an emarginate caudal fin,
sensory pores on the cheek and ventral surface, four pairs of short
barbels and short dorsal and anal fins. The closest ally is Batasio
Blyth and B. travancoria Hora & Law from which it differs by the
character of the adipose dorsal fin and the caudal fin shape.
(4) Anuradha Bhat (2003). Diversity
and composition
of freshwater fishes in streams of Central Western Ghats, India.
Environmental Biology of Fishes, 68: 25-38. (PDF
file)
Abstract
The Western Ghats (India) is a region of high biological diversity and
endemicity of terrestrial fauna, but very little is known about its
freshwater species distributions. Four rivers, Sharavati, Aghanashini,
Bedti and Kali, of the central Western Ghats were studied for their
fish diversity and composition. A total species richness of 92 species
(and an endemicity of 25%) was reported. A comparison of expected
species richness (SR) estimates using different statistical estimators
was made - these showed the expected SR to be in the range of 92-120
species. Many of the species were found to be shared with those
belonging to the Southern Western Ghats, but the study also unearthed
new findings in terms of description of a new species and extension of
the known distribution range of some of
the species. The study at varying spatial and temporal scales also
showed
that while the rivers are very similar to each other in terms of the SR
values, they do vary with respect to the species composition. Species
compositions
across upper (or lower) reaches of these rivers were found to be more
similar to one another than the upstream and downstream reaches in the
same river. Temporal patterns, with regard to diurnal activity of
fishes
were studied. These showed that of the 72 species collected at night,
29
were exclusive to night sampling. Though much of the information of the
feeding and habitat preferences of the fishes in this region is
lacking, it is speculated that the differences in their activity
patterns could be related to feeding and predator avoidance.
Link to
Environmental Biology of Fishes
(5) Neelesh Dahanukar, Rupesh Raut and
Anuradha Bhat (2004). Distribution, endemism and threat status of
freshwater fishes in the Western Ghats of India. Journal of
Biogeography, 31: 123-136.
Abstract
The Western Ghats region of India is rich in freshwater
fish fauna comprising of 288 species, 118 being endemic to this
zoogeographical region. Species accumulation curve depicts that 16%
fish species have not been recorded till date from this region.
Analysis of distribution pattern of fishes in the Western Ghats
suggests that the southern region is more diverse than the
northern and central region. The southern region shows high endemism
and high uniqueness while the northern shows high endemism but less
uniqueness. We discuss distribution pattern of fishes in accordance
with the geography of the Western Ghats, its climatic conditions
and the 'Satpura Hypothesis'. Threat status of fishes found in
the Western Ghats suggest that at least 41% of the fish fauna is
threatened by either being vulnerable, endangered or critically
endangered. Implication of potent conservation measures is necessary to
conserve the fish fauna of
the Western Ghats.
Link to
Journal of Biogeography
(6) Anuradha Bhat (2004). Patterns
in the distribution of freshwater fishes in rivers of Central Western
Ghats, India and their associations with environmental gradients.
(Hydrobiologia, 529: 83-97)
(PDF file)
Abstract
The community ecology of freshwater fishes in rivers systems of the
northern and central parts of the Western Ghats (WG) have not been
studied, except for stray descriptive accounts of some species.
Aghanashini, Bedti, Sharavati and Kali are four rivers located in the
central WG, and this study deals with the patterns of fish species
distributions and the identification of important stream and
environmental parameters which determine species richness and
composition in this region. Upstream - downstream trends in species
richness and diversity as well as changes in stream characteristics
were studied using univariate correlation analyses. Preliminary
analyses on changes in species composition and feeding guilds show the
presence of a gradual species addition, substitution as well
as replacement along the stream gradient. There are associated changes
in the major feeding guild compositions, with a higher proportion of
insectivores and algivore/ herbivore composition in the upper reaches
which changes
to a higher proportion of omnivores and carnivores downstream.
Pearson’s
product-moment Correlation analyses along with stepwise multiple
regression
analyses identified stream depth and altitude as the most parameters
determining
species richness. Multivariate analyses using the Canonical
Correspondence
Analysis method was performed to study species associations with
environmental
parameters. The analyses showed a strong species-environmental
correlation
to the CCA axes, a high significance for the CCA axis 1 as well as the
overall test. The plots of the species and site scores on the CCA
axes showed a clear segregation of species based on their relations
with
the environmental and stream properties. This study is thus an
important
step in our understanding of the community structure of fish species of
these rivers and would be helpful in future efforts on the conservation
of
aquatic communities and their habitats.
(7) Anuradha Bhat (2005) .
Ecomorphological correlates of tropical stream fishes of Southern
India. (Environmental Biology of Fishes, 73(2):211-225)
Abstract
The morphological variations in 18 stream fish species (belonging to
five families) commonly occurring in diversity rich habitats of rivers
in the central Western Ghats (Southern India) were studied to examine
their preferences to specific habitat conditions and the species
packaging in these habitats. Univariate and multivariate analyses
indicated a clear segregation of species in morphological and
ecological (habitat) space. Cluster analyses using morphological
features segregated species based mainly on their body shape and
feeding parameters while habitat parameters segregated species
according to their position along water column and preference to runs/
pool habitats. Principal component analyses showed that body size, head
dimensions, mouth and eye related parameters were important characters
for species segregation in morphological space, while run or pool
habitat type and the position of the fish in the water column best
explained segregation of species in habitat space. Further, the species
clusters based on morphological features and habitat preferences were
found to be largely consistent. There is, however, no clear consensus
in the literature on the existence of correspondence between morphology
and ecology. An attempt is made to address this issue by employing
multivariate methods like canonical correspondence analysis and the
Mantel test to study correlations between morphological segregation of
species and that observed in their habitat preferences. The tests
revealed weak correlations leading to conclude that morphology is at
best a rough indicator of habitat in such complex tropical fish
assemblages, with factors like interspecific interactions,
morphological and ecological constraints likely to play important roles.
(8) Anuradha Bhat. Impact of human
disturbances on the fish communities and their habitats in the river
catchments of Central Western Ghats, India -- an initial investigation.
(in preparation)
Abstract
The Western Ghats, located in the southwestern part of the Indian
subcontinent, is a unique region with its high species diversity and
endemicity. With 290 species of freshwater fishes recorded so far, of
which about 40% are restricted to the Western Ghats, this region is
important and needs to be given special attention for the conservation
of its ecosystems and biodiversity. Recent developmental activities,
however, are causing considerable damage to the aquatic habitats and
fauna of this region. The present study has been conducted in four
rivers of Uttara Kannada district (Sharavati, Aghanashini, Bedti and
Kali) in the central part of the Western Ghats as an initial
investigation of the existing local species diversity and fish
community composition and the effect of human impacts like pollution
and habitat degradation (from dams and reservoir constructions) on
these communities. Fish sampling in 16 study sites of this region over
a two year period (January 1997 – April 1999) showed a remarkably high
species diversity (with a highest species richness of 33 species at a
single location on the River Bedti) in many of the study sites located
in more pristine
and undisturbed habitats, while showing rather low diversity (species
richness being as low as 7 species at a site on the River Kali) in
sites located closer to human habitations and polluting sources like
industries. Kolmogorov – Smirnov tests on the species accumulation
curves of pairs of study sites showed that differences between degraded
and undisturbed sites were significant (p<0.005). Jaccard index of
species similarity between these sites also showed a high difference in
species composition between the sites on Kali and Bedti. Following its
successful use in many temperate as well as tropical ecosystems and due
to its usefulness as an indicator of disturbed habitats, an Index of
Biotic Integrity (IBI) is developed for this part of the Indian
subcontinent. The IBI model is modified and developed taking into
consideration some of the important and distinct characteristics (e.g.
high endemicity) of the Western Ghats region. As an initial study,
keeping in mind our limited information on the fish community
structure, their population dynamics and life history strategies, the
IBI model developed was found to be very useful as an indicator for
ranking locations on river systems according to the
extent of their disturbance. It is, thus, recommended as an effective
method
for the development of future conservation management strategies for
the
Western Ghats.
(9) Anuradha Bhat and Anne E. Magurran (2006).
Taxonomic distinctness in a linear system: a test using a tropical freshwater fish assemblage. (Ecography 29 (1), 104-110)
Abstract
Taxonomic distinctness, a measure of diversity that captures the phylogenetic relatedness of an assemblage, has been successfully applied in several marine communities and appears to have considerable potential for environmental assessment and conservation. This approach has, however, not hitherto been used in structured freshwater systems. We evaluated this technique in the context of vulnerable tropical river drainages in India. We found that the inherent physical structure of river systems and longitudinal gradients in habitat characteristics influenced the pattern of taxonomic distinctness. Downstream locations were in general more taxonomically diverse than upstream ones. This in turn means that highly perturbed sites in the lower reaches of rivers would not display a reduction in taxonomic distinctness relative to a random expectation. The utility of the approach for detecting habitat and other disturbances on stream fish communities is thus limited. Implications of these unique properties of river ecosystems and their communities to conservation are discussed.
(10) Anuradha Bhat and Anne E. Magurran.(2006) Benefits of familiarity persist after prolonged isolation in guppies. (Journal of Fish Biology, 68, 759-766)
Abstract
The persistence of familiarity in the Trinidadian guppy Poecilia reticulata fish, reunited after prolonged periods of separation, was studied and benefits of this association were tested. Choice experiments following 5 weeks of isolation confirmed that the fish, continued to prefer familiar group mates. Furthermore, guppies emerged more rapidly from a shelter in the presence of a familiar individual from which they had been isolated, as opposed to a completely unfamiliar individual. This experiment indicated that the benefits associated with the exploration of new surroundings in the presence of familiar fish were not transitory, and could persist over time periods that allow for shoal mixing and re-assembly, or movement out of the home range.
Other Articles:
1) Anuradha Bhat (2000)."Freshwater fishes of the Indian region" by K.
C. Jayaram: A Book Review. Current Science, 79 (3): 382- 383.
2) Madhav Gadgil, H. N. Chandrashekhariah, Anuradha Bhat (2001).
Freshwater fish: Out of sight, out of mind. The Hindu Survey of the
Environment: 137-142. (This article outlines the major threats to fish
diversity in the Indian context and calls for an immediate action to
prevent further loss and protection of the freshwater ecosystems and
its fish diversity) (Text version)
3) Anuradha Bhat (2004). Coral Reefs and their Fauna: An
Underwater Fantasyland, Resonance: Journal of Science Education, 9 (9):
62-73.(PDF file)
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