Primary productivity of some fringing reefs of south-east India

Abstract

Primary productivity of two fringing reefs in south-east India was studied from the diurnal curve method. The rate of production in the waters around the reef was determined by 14C uptake and chlorophyll-a estimation. The rates of production and consuinption in individual sea-grasses were determined by the light and dark bottle oxygen method. Gross production of the Palk Bay reef ranged from 4.86 gC/m2/day in March to 9.5 gC/m2/ day in May. In the Kurusadai island reef the rate of gross production was 2.39 gC/m2/day in November. Phytoplankton production in the Palk Bay reef area ranged from 0.51 gC/m2/day to 1.62 gC/m2/day and chforophyll-a values from 0.177 pg/l to 0.695 µg/l. In the Kurusadai reef the phytoplankton production was 0.17 gC/m2/day and the chlorophyll-a was 0.163 µg/l. Oxygen production and consunlption in individual corals and sea grasses indicate that the individual species is autotrophic with P/R ratios exceeding