| Abstrakt: |
Seagrass meadows are highly productive and serve as shelter and feeding areas for a variety of marine animals. Luxuriant seagrass beds are found in specific regions along the Indian coast. One of the largest contiguous seagrass ecosystems is located on the shallow continental shelf adjacent to the east coast of India and is comprised of four seasonally transitory species of seagrass. An extensive survey was carried out during the period from August 2009 to November 2010 on the physico-chemical variability and biomass of seagrass in the Adiramapattinam and Manalmelkudi coastal areas along Palk Bay, Bay of Bengal. There was a distinct seasonal and spatial variation of the above ground and below ground biomass between the stations. Seasonal variation in the seagrass biomass could be influenced by independent abiotic variables such as air temperature, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, particulate organic carbon and nutrients. The present investigation concluded that all the seagrass species were highly influenced by temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and total dissolved organic nitrogen in both the study areas. |
