A Critical Survey of Seaweed Diversity of Chilika Lake, India

Abstract

During the last seventy years several studies have been undertaken on different aspects of marine algae from different parts of the Indian coast. The country has a vast coastline of more than 7,000 km, which harbours a large diversity of marine algal species. So far nearly seven hundred seventy species of marine algae have been reported from different parts of the Indian coast, which includes 184 species of Chlorophyceae, 166 species of Phaeophyceae and 420 species of Rhodophyceae (Sahoo et al. 2001). Although systematic studies on marine algal distribution and diversity are known from different coastal provinces of India, not much published information is available about the marine algal flora of Orissa. The state has a coastline of 460 km covering mostly sandy beaches. Sahoo (1989); Sahoo and Vijayraghvan (1986) reported occurrence of Centroceras clavulatum, Chaetomorpha antennina and Herposiphonia tenella from Gopalpur coast of Orissa. Reports of occurrence of some marine algal species have also been reported from Chilika, a brackish water lake in Orissa. Biswas (1932) in his monumental work reported nine different species of seaweeds from different parts of the lake. Parija and Parija (1947) studied the succession of some algae on a rocky island of the lake. Sahu and Adhikary (1999) reported only six marine algal species from some parts of the lake. Out of all these studies only Biswas gave a detailed authentic monograph on algal flora. But since Biswas’s study in 1932, the lake had undergone several ecological changes due to closing of the lake mouth to the sea thus blocking the entry of saline water to the lake. Besides, large-scale aquacultural activities have gone up in the lake during last several years. Eutrification has also caused several problems to the lake along with siltation. All these activities over the years have not only changed the ecological characters of the lake but also its floristic composition. Thus, the present study is an important step to re-evaluate the seaweeds diversity of the lake.