Ecology of Seagrass Bed of Halophila Beccarii (Aschers) in Mandovi Estuary, Goa

Abstract

Halophila beccarii which prefers soft and silty substratum. It showed salinity tolerance from O to 33ppt. High nitrate (7.02 mu g at/litre) and phosphate (2.21 mu g at/litre) were recorded in July and November respectively in the substratum of seagrass bed. Maximum average biomass of 26.44 g/m2 was recorded in October followed by a flowering period of the seagrass. Protein content was maximum (393.12 mg/g) in August while carbohydrate was maximum (476.18 mg/g) in May and August. Maximum organic carbon (30.8%) was recorded in July and September while C:N ratio ranged from 3 to 7