Primary production of a seagrass bed on Kavaratti Atoll (Laccadives)

Abstract

Along the intertidal zone of Kavaratti Lagoon, a seagrass bed, consisting largely of Thalassia and Cymodocea, grows on a substratum of loose coral sand and coral debris. Primary production of this grass bed was estimated from a study of diurnal changes in dissolved oxygen over the bed and experiments were conducted on some isolated plants to determine their rates of oxygen production and consumption. Both these studies showed that photosynthesis of the community during daylight is greater than its respiration during day and night combined.