Qualifications: M. Sc. Marine Biology, James Cook University, Australia (2020)

Email: chaitanya@dakshin.org

Profile: Chaitanya developed a keen interest in coral reef ecology during his Master’s in Australia. He is specifically interested in coral reef ecosystem function delivery, sediment dynamics, epilithic algal matrix, coral reef phase-shifts, and resilience-based management. Over the years, Chaitanya has been part of 1) the Global FinPrint project which involved in-video tagging of sharks and rays, 2) Barramundi fish vaccination at an aquaculture farm, and 3) a citizen science initiative with Earthwatch Australia that involved understanding the effect of manual removal of canopy-forming macroalgae across two coral reefs in the Great Barrier Reef. 

Chaitanya joined Dakshin as part of the Long-Term Ecological Observatories Program. He is based out of Andaman Nicobar Environment Team (ANET), Dakshin’s field station in South Andaman. His work involves monitoring permanent coral reef plots inside the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, where he collects data on the composition and cover of coral reef benthic categories. Chaitanya also collects data on 1) sediment accumulation rates on coral reef benthos using TurfPods, which are custom-made proxies of algal turfs (most abundant benthic cover across coral reefs) and 2) feeding rates of different reef fish herbivore functional groups using static underwater video surveys.

Chaitanya has previously worked as a collaborative Spanish teacher in Pune, and as an assistant cook in a Japanese restaurant during his time in Australia. His other interests include cooking, food science, watching tennis, and history.

Publications:

• Arjunwadkar, C. V., Tebbett, S. B., Bellwood, D. R., Bourne, D. G., & Smith, H. A. (2022). Algal turf structure and composition vary with particulate loads on coral reefs. Marine Pollution Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113903
• Smith, H.A., Brown, D.A., Arjunwadkar, C.V., Fulton, S.E., Whitman, T., Hermanto, B., Mastroianni, E., Mattocks, N., Smith, A.K., Harrison, P.L., Boström-Einarsson, L., McLeod, I.M. and Bourne, D.G. (2022), Removal of macroalgae from degraded reefs enhances coral recruitment. Restoration Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13624