Abstract
Seabirds are good candidates as ecological indicators, especially in under-studied ecosystems since they provide insights into marine ecosystem processes and functions at various trophic levels. Our review discusses salient points on the present status of seabirds in the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem; despite overall low seabird numbers and biomass, this region harbors 9 species of terns, one of the most threatened bird group worldwide, which are known to breed in various marine habitats of Andaman and Nicobar islands, in addition to the coastal areas of mainland. Further, we elaborate on employing seabirds as potential indicators of this ecosystem and how they outscore other taxa in this aspect. Finally, we argue that it is essentially to fill the gaps in our knowledge about the BOBLME, mainly about the interplay between seabirds, climate change and fisheries.
Highlights
Among the 64 large marine ecosystems of the world, Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem (BOBLME) encompasses the following countries, Maldives, Srilanka, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia under its jurisdiction
2% of the total coastal area of Bay of Bengal is officially designated as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) [2] and according to [3], there are 31 MPAs in India, with an areal extent of about 627,121 ha, a mere 0.002% of the entire land mass of India
Periodic monsoon discharges lead to the formation of 100 - 150 m layer characterized by low salinity and high oxygen content [9], triggering high primary productivity in certain parts of the BOBLME
Summary
Among the 64 large marine ecosystems of the world, BOBLME encompasses the following countries, Maldives, Srilanka, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia under its jurisdiction. The primary productivity in the BOBLME ranges from a minimum of 385 g C m−2·year−1 in the Maldives to a maximum of 1700 g C m−2·year−1 in Bangladesh, with an average of 730 g C m−2·year−1 [1] Such productivity is twice that of the North Sea, or of the Benguela Large Marine Ecosystems, even though upwelling is limited only to the continental shelf of the Bay of Bengal [5]. Periodic monsoon discharges lead to the formation of 100 - 150 m layer characterized by low salinity and high oxygen content [9], triggering high primary productivity in certain parts of the BOBLME This condition persists perennially especially in the northern Bay, owing to the GangesBrahmaputra river discharge [4]. Our review aims at filling this gap, and at identifying forthcoming research objectives
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