Marine macroalgal diversity along the Maharashtra coast: Past and present status

Abstract

A comparative study on distribution and abundance of marine macroalgae was carried out at six sites along the Maharashtra coast, India with the available data from 1935 onwards. The analyses and interpretation of this data revealed very interesting trends in marine macroalgal diversity. A typical cyclic change in their distribution, abundance and the reproductive features were observed in these algal forms. Although, northern part of Maharashtra is subjected to increasing industrial pollution and habitat destruction, there are some pockets wherein high macroalgal diversity occurs. This may be because of the increased tolerance to the environmental changes.