title: Hydrographic and sediment characteristics of seagrass meadows of the Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve, South India.
abstract: The aim of the study was to examine the spatial and temporal variations in the physicochemical parameters of seagrass meadows of the Gulf of Mannar, South India using multivariate statistical techniques, namely, cluster analysis (CA) and principal component analysis (PCA), to explore the relationship. There were clear spatial and temporal variations in physicochemical variables of the seagrass meadow of the Gulf of Mannar, but such changes were subjected to seasonal variations especially during monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. The multivariate statistical techniques, viz., CA and PCA helped in the discrimination of islands according to the physicochemical parameters of the seagrass meadows. It was inferred that electrical conductivity, nitrate, particulate organic carbon, and phosphate strongly determined the discrimination of 19 islands, respectively, upon physicochemical characteristics of their seagrass meadows. These results highlight the important role of seagrasses in the Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve.
authors.affiliation: Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Sciences, Annamalai University, Parangipettai, 608 502, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India. rmugam@gmail.com
authors.forename: Radjassegarin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arumugam
authors.forename: Rengasamy Ragupathi Raja
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Kannan
authors.forename: Kannan Rajasekaran
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Saravanan
authors.forename: Thirunavukarasu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Thangaradjou
authors.forename: Perumal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Anantharaman
mesh_terms: D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments; D007194:India; D009566:Nitrates / Q000032:analysis; D010710:Phosphates / Q000032:analysis; D012621:Seasons; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D009566:Nitrates; D010710:Phosphates; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical