Ascidians in Coastal Water

Dr. H. Abdul Jaffar Ali is working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biotechnology, Islamiah College (Autonomous), Vaniyambadi, Tamilnadu, India which is very renowned rural based educational institute with appreciable heritage. He has experience of 15 years of both teaching and research. As a research scientist, he has published 30 research articles at National and International level. He has contributed one chapter each in books published by international publishers Taylor & Francis and Lambert. He has guided more than 15 projects at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Currently he is doing "DNA barcoding of ascidians of India" with the financial support of Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. Dr. M. Tamilselvi M.Sc., M.Phil., Ph.D., is working as Associate Professor of Zoology in V. V. Vanniaperumal College for Women, Virudhunagar, Tamilnadu, India. She has about 20 years of teaching experience of UG classes and specialized in the field of Taxonomy, diversity, ecology and nutritional aspects of marine ascidian / tunicate fauna. She has authored three books for the benefit of student community as well as the Tamils' community. She has published a dozen of research articles in various journals of international repute and presented the research work at national level Conferences. She has successfully completed two Minor Research Projects entitled "Analysing the food value of Ascidians" and "Feed formulation from exotic Ascidians Didemnum psammathodes and Herdmania pallida" financially supported by University Grants Commission, Hyderabad and still marching in the same field.

An Introduction to Ascidians.- Classification of Ascidians.- Ecology of Ascidians.- Association.- Commercial Importance.- Biopotentiality of Compounds of Ascidians.- Ascidians - Model Organisms.- Introduction to Indian Ascidians.- Inventory of Ascidians of Southern India.- Scope for Future Research in Ascidians.