Ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in varied matrices of coastal environment of Maharashtra, India, and their effects on forked venus clam, Gafrarium divaricatum (Gmelin, 1791).

The spatial and seasonal variation of heavy metal contamination was assessed in the seawater, sediments, and clam samples collected from Ratnagiri, Bandra, and Aksa Beach, along Maharashtra Coast, India, during the different seasons. The concentrations of eleven heavy metals were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), and the metal concentrations were found in the order sediment > clam > seawater. Various pollution indices indicated that Cd and As mainly contributed to ecological risks, and Bandra was the most contaminated site.

Metagenomics: Retrospect and Prospects in High Throughput Age.

In recent years, metagenomics has emerged as a powerful tool for mining of hidden microbial treasure in a culture independent manner. In the last two decades, metagenomics has been applied extensively to exploit concealed potential of microbial communities from almost all sorts of habitats. A brief historic progress made over the period is discussed in terms of origin of metagenomics to its current state and also the discovery of novel biological functions of commercial importance from metagenomes of diverse habitats.