Range extension of a mantis Shrimp <em>Harpiosquilla harpax</em> (Family: Squillidae) in the Chilika Lagoon

18-24The present study describes the first live occurrence of a species of mantis shrimp i.e. Harpiosquilla harpax from the Chilika lagoon. It was a new record to Chilika after the opening of natural inlet due to super cyclone Phailin during October 2013 and range extension from Visakhapatnam coast.  However, concrete information regarding its population and spatio-temporal distribution is certainly not known. since it was caught as by catch. Food and feeding behaviour and morphological structure of the compound eye and ommatidia was also studied

Food Legumes and Rising Temperatures: Effects, Adaptive Functional Mechanisms Specific to Reproductive Growth Stage and Strategies to Improve Heat Tolerance

Ambient temperatures are predicted to rise in the future owing to several reasons associated with global climate changes. These temperature increases can result in heat stress- a severe threat to crop production in most countries. Legumes are well-known for their impact on agricultural sustainability as well as their nutritional and health benefits. Heat stress imposes challenges for legume crops and has deleterious effects on the morphology, physiology, and reproductive growth of plants. High-temperature stress at the time of the reproductive stage is becoming a severe limitation for production of grain legumes as their cultivation expands to warmer environments and temperature variability increases due to climate change. The reproductive period is vital in the life cycle of all plants and is susceptible to high-temperature stress as various metabolic processes are adversely impacted during this phase, which reduces crop yield. Food legumes exposed to high-temperature stress during reproduction show flower abortion, pollen and ovule infertility, impaired fertilization, and reduced seed filling, leading to smaller seeds and poor yields. Through various breeding techniques, heat tolerance in major legumes can be enhanced to improve performance in the field. Omics approaches unravel different mechanisms underlying thermotolerance, which is imperative to understand the processes of molecular responses toward high-temperature stress

First record of a burrowing mole crab <em>Emerita emeritus</em> (Decapoda: Anomura: Hippidae) from Chilika Lake, East coast of India

109-113This paper provides the first information regarding the first record of a burrowing crab Emerita emeritus Linnaeus, 1767 (Family Hippidae) from the Chilika lake. It is first ever to record mole crab from a brackish water coastal ecosystem. The extensive sandy intertidal region of outer channel area becomes the suitable habitat for the preponderance of this crab species

Sources and Variability of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Residues in Sediments of Chilika Lagoon, East Coast of India

The spatio-temporal distribution and the controlling factors of petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) in sediments of Chilika lagoon was investigated. Samples were collected during three seasons and quantified using UV-fluorescence spectroscopy. Concentrations of PHCs in surface sediments varies from 0.18 to 12.13 ppm (mean 3.71 ± 3.94 ppm). Compared to the lagoon, the monitoring stations adjacent to jetties with high boating activities tend to have higher PHC concentrations, suggesting that the contribution is likely to be from fossil fuel combustion and accidental seepage. The sediment organic matter (OM) of Chilika ranges from 0.26% to 6.23%. PHC maintains a positive correlation with OM (p &lt; 0.05; f = 0.334), indicating the long term deposition of PHC as sediment OM. However, there is no significant relation between PHC and sediment texture, indicating its negligible control over PHC. The recorded PHC concentrations are below the threshold limit (70 ppm) as classified by United States (US) National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and also lower than those reported from similar ecosystems in India and overseas. Since the long term deposition and the bioaccumulation of PHC cannot be avoided, it is essential to monitor these parameters periodically