Q. With reference to Seagrasses, consider the following statements:
1.Seagrasses are flowering plants which are found in sea beds and ocean floors.
2.Seagrasses exist only in the west coast of India.
3.They support marine mammals such as sea cows or dugongs.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Statement 1 is correct: Seagrasses are flowering plants which are found in sea beds and ocean floors.
Statement 2 is incorrect: The major seagrass beds exist along our coastline of Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay regions on the east coast, Gulf of Kachchh region on the west coast, the lagoons of islands in Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea and Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal.
Statement 3 is correct: Seagrass ecosystems are recognized globally for their ability to sequester carbon, nurture fish communities and support marine mammals such as sea cows or dugongs.
The National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management has estimated the total extent of seagrass ecosystem in India to be 516.59 km2. The CO2sequestration rate of seagrass ecosystem is estimated to be up to 434.9 tonnes/km2/year with an annual net CO2 sink of 0.75 million tonnes for an area of 517 km2.
Source: PIB
