A Manifestation on the Phytoplankton Dynamics of Sundarbans Ecoregion

Abstract

Sundarbans is recognized as highly productive ecosystems providing large quantities of organic matter to adjacent coastal waters in the form of detritus and live animals. With each passing year, Sundarbans is facing serious threats and hence need to be conserved. Phytoplanktons are the major contributors to primary productivity in this region. However, for broader economic benefit, employment and restoration of balance in the ecosystem, phytoplankton estimation is essential. This requires, proper knowledge of phytoplankton diversity and primary productivity which will help in future management and planning issues of the Sundarbans. This review conglomerates information from different phytoplankton-based studies that have been carried out from the Sundarbans mangrove ecoregion emphasizing on seasonal variation, hydrobiological parameters and molecular approach. It can be seen that among the diverse group of phytoplanktons, Diatoms are the most dominant entities in this region. Although the timespan is too short for predicting the impact of aquatic climate change, still variation in the phytoplankton community in the past few years indicates them to be potential aquatic bioindicators of climate change.