Anuradha Bhat completed her PhD at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, in 2002. She is interested in studying distribution patterns, species associations and interactions and conservation issues in aquatic ecosystems. She is currently developing conservation models for Indian riverine communities at the University of St Andrews, Scotland.

Coral reefs, sometimes called the “the rainforests of the sea” for their extraordinary biological diversity, are one of the most beautiful ecosystems of our planet. These shallow-water ecosystems are distributed in tropical and subtropical oceanic regions and harbour a multitude of life forms with sometimes very complex interactions. Recent threats to the coral reefs as a result of human induced disturbances (leading to large as well as small scale effects), their consequences to reef ecology and possible conservation measures are discussed.

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Address for Correspondence
Anuradha Bhat
Gatty Marine Laboratory
Unviersity of St. Andrews
St. Andrews, Fife KY16 8LB
Scotland, UK
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