Coastal and marine floral biodiversity along the Karnataka coast

Assessment of floral biodiversity along the Karnataka coast carried out during 2005-2006 revealed the occurrence of 53 phytoplankton, 78 seaweed and 2 seagrass species from estuary, intertidal, open sea and island ecosystems. Phytoplankton from Karnataka coast was dominated by diatoms and five species of toxic forms. The phytoplankton diversity was found to be the richest in estuarine areas than in sea and intertidal regions. Among the 78 species of seaweeds belonging to 52 genera and 28 families, exploitable quantity of commercially important seaweeds were algin yielding Sargassum ilicifolium from grids 8 and 9 and agaroid yielding Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis from grids 3 and 4. Seagrasses were represented by Ruppia maritima and Halophila beccarii from the Swarna - Sita, Chakra, Haladi and Kollur estuarine systems including Venkatapur. The study is the first comprehensive account of the floral biodiversity occurring along the entire Karnataka coast. Occurrence of red seaweed Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis in certain estuarine areas indicates the possibility of its farming in the estuary