Abstract
An ecological study was conducted on species composition, vertical distribution and monthly variations of marine macro algae along the Visakhapatnam coast, Bay of Bengal, India between May 2013 and April 2014. A total of 48 species was recorded, 18 species belonging to phylum Chlorophyta, nine species to Phaeophyta and 21 species to Rhodophyta. The phylum Rhodophyta was the most dominant group with the highest number of species composition (44.0%) followed by Chlorophyta (37.0%) and Phaeophyta (19.0%). Monthly seaweed distribution data showed the dominance of Rhodophyta members (43.75%) during November to February, when compared to that of Chlorophyta and Phaeophyta members. In addition, the data also revealed that the months from June to August contributed favourable conditions for the growth of Chlorophyta members (29.16%) when compared to that of other months. The present study has recorded two new species (Ulva lactuca and Enteromorpha intestinalis). Thirty-five species once recorded are absent from the Visakhapatnam coast. These changes are attributed to the impact of marine water pollution and climate change.
Highlights
The role of seaweeds in the economic life of humans and ecosystems is relatively well known
The intertidal zone is the area of a shore marked by the upper and lower limits of the tide; it is exposed at low tide and immersed at high tide, and exhibits zonation patterns in both plant and animal species
As the height above sea level increases, the harshness of conditions in the intertidal zone intensifies; fewer species are able to survive in these conditions (Kaliaperumal et al 1995), species diversity declines with increasing height in intertidal zones
Summary
The role of seaweeds in the economic life of humans and ecosystems is relatively well known. The use of algae as food, animal fodder, fertilizers, as raw materials in the production of industrial phycocolloids, and as natural feeds for economically important aquaculture species has received much attention in Thailand and in many other countries around the world such as Japan (Kazutosi et al 1987), China (Bangmei & Abbott 1987), and other Asian countries (e.g., Korea, Phillipines, India) (Dennis 2003). Vertical zonation is a great ecological concept to study for many reasons, as these studies discuss the species ability to cope with abiotic factors associated with emersion stress, such as desiccation which determines their upper limits, while biotic interactions, e.g., competition with other species sets their lower limits. The intertidal zone is the area of a shore marked by the upper and lower limits of the tide; it is exposed at low tide and immersed at high tide, and exhibits zonation patterns in both plant and animal species. As the height above sea level increases, the harshness of conditions in the intertidal zone intensifies; fewer species are able to survive in these conditions (Kaliaperumal et al 1995), species diversity declines with increasing height in intertidal zones. Srinivasan (1959), Misra (1959), Subbaramaiah (1970 & 1971), Agadi & Untawale (1978), and Agadi (1983 & 1985) have described zonation patterns of seaweeds at other coasts of India
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