Study of Marine Benthic Organisms with Reference to Environmental Parameters, West Coast of India

The present study was aimed to cover important environmental parameters of water and sediment, influencing the distribution of benthic community, seasonal variations in the abundance of diversity of benthos, mangrove and associated fauna including avian fauna. It is anticipated that the data generated from this study will provide baseline information for future ecological assessment and comparison. The present study was spread over a period of 13 months. The water and sediment samples collected monthly from February 2014 to February 2015 from the nearshore water and mud flats respectively for various physic-chemical and sedimentological parameters. Considering the importance of flora and fauna of this area and constant threat from sewage disposal and developmental activities, regular monitoring of this ecosystem is required to assess its health. Hence the present study is an attempt to covering various physicchemical, sedimentological parameters and the heavy metal analysis.