Studies on phytoplankton with reference to dinoflagellates

Abstract

This study was carried out to analyze the spatio-temporal variations in phytoplankton communities in the open ocean using the ‘ships of-opportunity’ programme. Considering the limitations of microscopic methods,pigment analysis was included along with routine microscopy to quantify the contribution of smaller phytoplankton groups in oceanic waters. Efforts were also made to elucidate the characteristics of the phytoplankton communities in coastal habitats by evaluating two diverse habitats of Mormugao and Vishakhapatnam ports.