Hydrographic and sediment characteristics of seagrass meadows of the Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve, South India

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine the spatial and temporal variations in the physicochemical parameters of seagrass meadows of the Gulf of Mannar, South India using multivariate statistical techniques, namely, cluster analysis (CA) and principal component analysis (PCA), to explore the relationship. There were clear spatial and temporal variations in physicochemical variables of the seagrass meadow of the Gulf of Mannar, but such changes were subjected to seasonal variations especially during monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. The multivariate statistical techniques, viz., CA and PCA helped in the discrimination of islands according to the physicochemical parameters of the seagrass meadows. It was inferred that electrical conductivity, nitrate, particulate organic carbon, and phosphate strongly determined the discrimination of 19 islands, respectively, upon physicochemical characteristics of their seagrass meadows. These results highlight the important role of seagrasses in the Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve.