Distribution and biology of seagrass resources of Lakshadweep group of Islands, India

Abstract

Present study explains the diversity, distribution, biomass and productivity of seagrasses in the Lakshadweep group of Islands. Seven seagrass species under five genera were recorded from nine islands and no seagrass was found at Bitra island. Out of seven seagrass species, <i style="">Cymodocea serrulata</i> was found to be dominant in the Lakshadweep group of islands whereas <i style="">Halophila decipiens</i> was found only in Kalpeni island. Biomass varied widely from 72<u>+</u>9 to 944<u>+</u>99 gfr.wt.m^‑2 among all the species of seagrasses. Productivity also showed clear variation within the species and between the species at different stations. Productivity of the species varied from 2.76<u>+</u>0.17 mgCm^-2day^-1to95.53<u>+</u>10.06 mgCm^-2day^-1 and it was in the following order of increase: <i style="">H. decipiens</i><<i style=""> H. pinifolia<</i> <i style="">H. uninervis< T. hemprichii< C. rotundata< S. isoetifolium < C. serrulata.</i> The spatial cover of seagrasses in Lakshadweep Island is more and are healthy in almost all the islands.