Seaweed Biodiversity of India: Reviewing Current Knowledge to Identify Gaps, Challenges and Opportunities

Mantri, Kavale, Kazi
2019 Diversity  
Seaweeds are a renewable marine resources and have not yet received considerableattention in the field of taxonomy in India as compared to their terrestrial counterparts, essentiallydue to the lack of awareness of their economic potential. Although the recent inventory from theIndian region documented the presence of approximately 865 seaweed taxa, of which only a few aretaxonomically well characterized, more precise information still awaits with respect to microscopicand molecular examinations
more » ... of many. Thus far, in terms of spatial extent, probably only a few of thetotal hospitable seaweed habitats have been explored, and large portions, including islandterritories and subtidal waters, remain virtually untouched. Surveying those may lead to thereporting of several taxa new to science. Furthermore, more focused efforts are required tounderstand the endemic and endangered taxa which have high conservation implications.Considering the unprecedented pressures seaweeds are facing, including coastal pollution andhuman‐induced global warming, it is critical to reinforce our knowledge of seaweed biodiversity.In the present communication, we intended to address the status of seaweed biodiversity in Indiaalong with the gaps, challenges, and opportunities.
doi:10.3390/d12010013 fatcat:zbwtltrt6nabpn65rk7fqkjncy