Domestic waste and its impact on production of Caulerpa racemosa (Forssk.) Weber v. Bosse at Minicoy Island, Lakshadweep

The present study deals with the impact of domestic waste on Caulerpa recemosa collected from a densely populated village of Minicoy Island. Length of erect foliar portion of C. racemosa collected from the polluted site was only 2.15 cm while at control site it was 6.16 cm. Similarly weight of the plant was also low (0.26 g) when compared to unpolluted site (0.95 g). Length – weight relationship indicated wider variability in the size of the plant at polluted site with lower values. Net primary production values showed 7.2 fold more production at control site than that of polluted site. Environmental parameters such as temperature, salinity, turbidity and nutrients were monitored.