Distribution and Composition of True Mangroves Species in three major Coastal Regions of Tamilnadu, India

Mangroves are a part of marine ecosystem. They occur within the inter-tidal zone of the river estuaries. Mangrove formation depend on terrestrial and tidal water for their nourishment, and silt deposits from upland erosion as substrate for support. Mangroves are one of the most productive ecosystem and a natural renewable resource. However, across the globe, the world’s mangroves are threatened. The Mangroves are distributed globally, occurring in over 112 countries. The present study observed the mangrove diversity in three major regions of Tamilnadu mangrove forest: namely Pichavaram, Muthupet, and Gulf of Mannar. The mangrove species diversity varies from one place to another, due to the factors such as climate, tidal factors and anthropogenic pressures. Pichavaram region has a maximum of 12 true mangrove species, whereas only 9 species are represented in Gulf of Mannar region. In Muthupet region only 8 species were recorded. In all the three places, 14 taxa of mangrove species were recorded from Tamilnadu region.