കടല്‍പായല്‍(Seaweeds)

Abstract

Seaweeds which are macroscopic marine algae belong to the primitive non flowering group - Thallophyta. They grow submerged and attached to hard substrata such as stones, rocks and coral reefs along the shallow coasts, lagoons, estuaries and brackishwater habitats of the Andaman - Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands and coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. Based on their pigmentation and other morphological characteristics they are categorised into three major groupschlorophyceae which is popularly known as green seaweeds, phaeophyceae or brown seaweeds and rhodophyceae or red seaweeds.