Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India

Assessment of the spatial variation in the macro-algal resources of Lakshadweep, India

Volume 65 Issue 1

M. Shabeena, K. K. Idreesbabu and S. Sureshkumar

doi:10.6024/jmbai.2023.65.1.2285-07

Abstract

Marine macroalgae play a vital functional role as primary producers in the marine environment. The present article reports a significant spatial variation in the macroalgal resources of different zones of the atoll, like the intertidal zone, lagoon, inner reef slope, reef crest, outer reef slope, and reef flat. The study was carried out from October 2015 to October 2019 to record the occurrence and abundance of macroalgae from intertidal zones to 25 m depth, covering ten inhabited and two uninhabited islands of Lakshadweep Archipelago. In the present study, 65 species of marine macroalgae belonging to 22 families under three phyla, Rhodophyta, Chlorophyta and Phaeophyta, were recorded from Lakshadweep. The four species, Botryocladia pseudodichotoma, Gracilaria parvispora, Sargassum polycystum and Valonia ventricosa, are new records to Lakshadweep.

Keywords

Seaweed, seagrass, Lakshadweep, biogeographic zone, algae, new records

Date : 29-04-2023