Seagrass Associated Marine Sponges in Palk Bay

Seagrass, though one of the predominant and specialized group of marine flora, are poorly known in India, compared to other similar ecosystems such as mangroves. It occurs in all the coastal areas of the world except the Polar Regions because of ice scouring. It represents one of the highly productive coastal ecosystems of the world and protects the shorelines against erosion in the middle and lower intertidal and subtidal zones. India is home to more than fifteen species of seagrasses found in different coastal areas of Eastern, Southern and Western parts of India. Most of the species are found in healthy numbers along the Southeast Coast (which is the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Bay), of Tamil Nadu, and the sporadic islands of Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar.