The virtual trip summarized the key ecosystems and biodiversity found in the Gulf of Mannar, located between India and Sri Lanka. It described the coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves, and 21 islands that make up the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park and Biosphere Reserve. The summary highlighted some of the species observed during stops at locations like Munaikadu, Kunthukal, Krusadai Island, and Rameswaram, such as corals, sea stars, mollusks, and fish. It also mentioned threats to the region's biodiversity like marine debris, destructive fishing, and pollution.

1. VIVEKANANDA COLLEGE
COLLEGE WITH POTENTIAL FOR EXCELLENCE
(Residential & Autonomous – A Gurukula Institute of Life Training,
Affiliated to Madurai Kamaraj University)
Re-accredited with “A” Grade (CGPA 3.59 out of 4.00) by NAAC
Tiruvedakam West, Madurai, Tamil Nadu– 625 234
“Commemoration of World Environmental Day -2021”
(Ecosystem Restoration)
VIRTUAL TRIP
TO
“THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL PARADISE - GULF
OF MANNAR”
Organized by
PG and Research Department of Zoology

2. 1.0 Introduction
GULF OF MANNAR:-
Large shallow bay- Three distinct
Coastal ecosystems viz., coral reef,
seagrass bed & mangroves.
Lies between the southeastern
tip of India and the west coast of
Sri Lanka. It consisting of 21 small
islands.
Marine Biological Paradise- its
unique biological wealth and is a
store house of marine diversity of
global significance
GULF OF MANNAR

3. GULF OF MANNAR
1986- declared the Gulf of Mannar
Marine National Park.
1989-The park and its 10 km buffer
zone were declared a Biosphere
Reserve
First marine Biosphere Reserve in
South East Asia, a chain of 21 islands
(10,500 km²)
The Gulf’s 4,223 species of plants &
animals representing all forms
(primitive to higher). Home to many
rare species of flora and fauna
Highly productive fringing and patch
coral reefs surround the islands

4. The islets & coastal buffer zone includes
• Beaches
• Estuaries
• Tropical dry broadleaf forests
The marine environments include
• Seaweed communities
• Sea grass communities
• Coral reefs
• Salt marshes
• Mangrove forests

5. Families Species
Phytoplankton 126
Zooplankton 360
Forominifera 51
Sponges 275
Corals 128
Gorgonids 14
Polochaeta 75
Nematoda 9
Crustacea 368
Molluscus 731
Echinodermata 264
Hemichordata 1
Capture fishes 441
Ornamental fishes 100
Sea turtles 5
Sea weed 147
Sea grass 52
Mangroves 16

6. 2.0. Objectives
Students may be able to locate various species of marine
animals in their natural habitats
Students can answer inquiry-based questions during virtual
discussion
Students can able estimate the faunal species richness based on
presence and absence
To Improve the skills of faunal observation and perception of
taxonomy
Create awareness of conservation and faunal species
enhancement

8. Mode of Travel

9. 3.0 Materials and Method
3.1. Field Observation (Visual Count Method):
The accurate observation of marine animals
and identifications of their habitats used 10
X 10 meter quadrat method for a team of
10 individuals and they do survey of
randomly. A team there are 5 quadrate
were covered in each locations. Species
were identified by Crew leaders and they
took spot lectures on collected animals and
their ecosystem interactions.

10. Other Methods
Spot Lectures
Shore Walk

11. Nocturnal survey selected grids

12. Munaikadu- Palk Bay

13. Shore and Rocky beeches
Predominantly Dead Corals
Cultivation of sea weeds
Very less fishing activity
Shallow waters- Palk bay
Low depth more than 2 km
Less human intervention
Less Disturbance
Scrub Vegetation
Government culture centres
Local prawn culture etc.,
MUNAIKADU

14. Active participation of collection by Crew team

15. List of species were encountered at Munaikadu of Mandapam Coast
1) Different kinds of brittle star 2. Colourful Little Star
fish 3) Nereis 3) Clam mussel 4) Porcupine fish 5)
Commercially cultivated sea weeds, 6) Squilla 7) Jelly
fish 8) Hermit crab 9) Sea Fan, 10) Prawns Larvae, 11)
Coral associated small animals & Fishes, 12) Hermit
crab, 13) Rocky associated shells, 14). Different types
of prawns and rays, 15) Squid, 16) Octopus,, 17) Puf
fish, 18) Little stars, 19) Many wetland birds viz., Wood
sandpiper, Curlew, Grey Heron, Egrets, Little plover,
etc. 20) Aquatic weeds, 21) Sea grass.

16. KUNTHUKAL

17. VIVEKANANDA MEMORIAL HALL
There is a memorial for swami Vivekananda was built in this beach for
commemorate his return to the India on January 26,1897 after his
participation in “world parliament of Religions” held in Chigaco,
America. The memorial was inaugurated on January 26,2010. Before
that there was a pillar in this place in the remembrance of swami
Vivekananda.

19. MARINE MUSEUM
There is a marine museum cum interpretation centre near the Kunthukal
Vivekanada Memorial Hall, This Museum Centre along with an aquarium
showcases various marine species found in the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere
Reserve. The Marine Museum also has a children’s park.

20. Aquarium showcases and paintings of various marine species viz., Sea turtles, dolphins,
fishes, crustaceans and whales to different types of seaweed, seagrass, mangroves, corals and
sponges are found in this coastal region.

21. KUNTHUKAL HABITAT
Pale blue water of the endless ocean
Shiny white sand the entire seashore
Highly diverse habitat
Shallow and Deep
Well development of Corals
Less human Intervention
Protected areas of Kurusadai Island

22. Predominantly
Different kind of mollusc
Live corals
Crabs
Sea Dollar
Peculiar Tube worm shell
Coral Fishes
Star Fishes
Cone Shells

23. KRUSADAI ISLAND

24. LIVE CORALS IN KRUSADAI ISLAND
Well protected and preserved island, consist of diverse live corals reefs. Island
consists of contain fringing and patch reefs. This reef ecosystem is endowed
with a rich variety of marine organisms. Acropora muricata, Acropora cytherea
and Pocillopora damicornis reefs are very common.

25. Common Reefs in Krusadai
Pocillopora damicornis
Acropora muricata Acropora cytherea

26. Observation of preserved specimens in
Marine Museum and live animals in
marine aquarioum at CMFRI

27. CMFRI MUSEUM
Mandapam was established by Ministry of Agriculture in 1947. It is
One of the largest marine museums in India
Contains more than 5000 species.
Highlighted of
1100 species of fishes
152 sponges 180 Varieties of corals
200 varieties of tube dwelling worms
220 types of crabs and hermit crabs
125 varieties of prawns
370 varieties of sea shells
Specimens and models of Fisheries
Fossils etc.,

28. Marine Aquarium
• Puffer fish
• Sea horse
• Star Fish
• Clown fish
• Underwater coral wall fuji
• Anemone fish
• prawn & shrimp
• Lobster
• White spotted eagle ray
• Whale shark
• Red Caribbean Reef Squid
• Green Sea Turtle
• Benthos,
• Blue-spotted stingray Fish
• Yellow cowfish
• Lion fish

29. Preserved specimens in CMFRI Museum Mandapam

31. COAST OF PAMBAN

32. Pamban
• Distributed habitat
• Human intervention more
• Fish landing site
• Shallow waters
• Less wave
• Less diverse group of animals
• Encountered dead fishes & crab
• Jelly fishes

33. Not much encounter at this
place. But we can able to know
how we polluting the marine
ecosystem with the following:-
disposed various house
materials & Plastics
Nylon net materials
Human faeces at the shoreline
Boat Fuels on the surface of
water

34. Lobster Culture at
Rameswaram

35. Culturing, conditioning & marketing strategies of
Lobsters
LOBSTER SINGI RAAL

36. Olaikuda,Rameswaram

37. Shallow water
Live corals
Rich in Diversity fauna
Abundant sea grasses
Less Disturbance
Fish landing site
HABITAT SYSTEM OF OLAIKUDA

38. 1) Star fish
2) Sea cucumber
3) Corals of different kind
4) Puf fish
5) Box fish
6) Porcupine fish
7) Jelly fish
8) Squilla
9) Sea anemone
10) Sea Dollor
11) Sea Fan
12) Hermit crab
13) Large fishes as Sardines
14) Hammer shell
15) Pina shell
16) Sea cucumber
17) Octopus
18) Plenty of small cone shells
19) Aplysia
20) Sea Lotus
21) Squid
22) Little and Brittle stars
23) Nereis
24) Sea urchin
25) Different types of prawns and rays
etc.
SPECIMENS COLLECTION AT RAMESHWARAM AND OLAIKUDA COAST

39. Fig: Clockwise-Students team in collections spot, an Octopus in corals, Puf fish, Jelly fish, Pina,
Sea Cucumber, Aplysia , Sea Urchin and diverse shells in centre were observed during the
specimens collection at Rameshwaram and Olaikuda Coast.

40. HOLY BATH AT RAMANATHASWAMY
TEMPLE

43. Various Holy Theertham in Ramanathaswamy Temple
1) Mahalakshmi theertham,
2) Savithri theertham,
3) Gayathri theertham,
4) Saraswathi theertham,
5) Sethu Madhava theertham,
6) Gandha madana theertham,
7) Kavatcha theertham,
8) Gavaya theertham,
9) Nala theertham,
10)Neela theertham,
11)Sanku theertham,
12)Sakkara theertham,
13)Brahmaha thivimochana theertham,
14)Sooriya theertham,
15)Chandra theertham,
16)Ganga theertham,
17)Yamuna theertham,
18) Gaya theertham,
19) Siva theertham,
20)Sadyamirtha theertham,
21)Sarva theertham and
22)Kodi theertham.

44. Fish Market and Shell
Processing unit at
Rameswaram

45. Crew team interact with the experts in processing unit
Students were also taken to fishing market, fishing factories like Squid cultures centre and fish
preservation units.

46. KOTHANDARAMAR TEMPLE, RAMESWARAM

47. DHANUSHKODI

48. HABITAT OF DHANUSKODI
Perfect Beach
Mud Backwaters
Bay of Bengal(female sea) &Indian Ocean (male sea)
Shoreline
Crystal clear lagoons with varying colours blue and green
Human disturbance little high due to tourisum

49. OLD MEMORIES OF DHANUSKODI
Devastation during 1964
cyclone

50. Avian Diversity at Dhanuskodi
1. Little Egret
2. Median Egret
3. Greater Egret
4. Little Cormorant
5. Pond heron
6. Grey Heron
7. Purple Heron
8. Black Kite
9. Bhraminy Kite
10.Kentish plover
11.Wood sandpiper
12.Common sandpiper
13.Red shank
14.Sea eagles
15.Common snipe
16.Sea gull
17.Flamingo
18. Terns
19.Eurasian curlew
20.Wood Sandpiper
https://www.notonthehighstreet.com/d
aniwilliamsartandillustration/product/w
ading-bird-watercolour-print

51. 187 species of aquatic and terrestrial birds (BLI, 2021)
Predominantly Waders & Seabirds
Feeding site of Greater Flamingo
Lesser Sand Plover, Curlew Sandpiper & Little Stint are the most abundant
The migrants such as Red Knot, Little Stint and Lesser Sand Plover
Photo Credit: L Balachandar

52. Little Stint
Lesser Sand Plover

53. Red Knot
Source: https://whsrn.org/about-shorebirds/highlighted-species/red-knot/

54. HUMAN INDUCED THREATS
Marine debris such as abandoned nets,
plastic fish traps, ropes and lines are becoming
far more common on the coral reefs of the
Gulf of Mannar
Changing fishing practices- destructive
fishing.
Effects on coral resilience
Overexploitation of marine resources,
Habitat destruction (coral reefs, seagrass,
and mangroves).
Marine pollution
THREATS OF BIODIVERSITY AT GULF OF MANNAR
https://india.mongabay.com/

55. Reference
• https://india.mongabay.com/2021/01/ghosts-of-the-gulf-marine-debris-a-threat-
to-corals-in-the-gulf-of-mannar/
• Information booklet on gulf of mannar biosphere reserve (2015), published by
ENVIS Centre, Department of Environment, Government of Tamil Nadu,
Chennai, pp 34.
• https://india.mongabay.com/2021/01/ghosts-of-the-gulf-marine-debris-a-threat-
to-corals-in-the-gulf-of-mannar/
• Fuhrman, J.A., McCallum, K., Davis, A.A. (1990) Phylogenetic diversity of
subsurface marine microbial communities from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 59: 1294-1302.
• Fuhrman, J.A., McCallum, K., Davis, A.A. (1992) Novel major archebacterial
group of marine plankton. Nature, 356, 148 – 149.
• The Oparin-Haldane Hypothesis, Origin of Life: Twentieth Century Landmarks,
1989.

56. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We are very grateful to the Management, Secretary Swamiji,
Principal for their constant support and continuous
encouragement
Our crew team acknowledges the valuable contributions given
by the Regional Joint Director of Collegiate Education, Madurai.
We also thank the Scientists of CMFRI, Museum and Aquarium
Curator.

57. THANK YOU
Compiled by:
Dr.T. RAMESH
Assistant Professor of Zoology
Vivekananda College
Tiruvedakam, Tamil Nadu.