In this book, the author has described a large number of species of mangrove forests and mangrove associates and 12 species of Marine Angiosperms with illustrations for most of them. Further cytotaxonomical and cytogenetical studies in most of the species of mangroves and the associates and 7 species of Marine Angiosperms of Tamil nadu have been added. For the first time the author has studied and published the cytological studies of them in cytologia and seaweed research and utilization journals and added these chapters in this book. A large number of mangrove associates, so far not reported, have been described in this book. The importance of these plants and further works necessary in them are also added. This book is a part of author's extensive study of "Flowering Plants of Tamil Nadu - Mangrove Associates". It is hoped that this book will be useful to the coming generations of teachers, research workers and students of higher studies to have some more informations particularly about the mangrove vegetations and Marine Angiosperms of Tamil Nadu. As a cytologist, the author has revealed his experiences in his life time, about this very interesting and peculiar groups of plants and the author himself has drawn various plants and their parts in this book. CONTENTS: Preface, Acknowledgements, Part I - Mangrove Flora: 1. Introduction, 2. Cytological Studies, 3. Morphological Studies, 4. Plates, 5. Taxonomy, 6. References, 7. Explanations of Plates and Figures. Part II - Marine Angiosperms of Tamil Nadu: 1. Introduction, 2. Observations and Discussions, 3. Cytological Studies, 4. Systematic Treatment Key to The Seagrass Families, 5. Morphological Studies, 6. Plates, 7. References, 8. Explanations of Plates and Figures. Index.

This book brings out the most comprehensive and up-to-date information on the taxonomy, biodiversity, and ecology of climbers in India. Climbing is one of the principal plant growth habits that have long attracted the interests of ecologists and evolutionary biologists. Climbing plants can add significantly to the species richness of many tropical forests ecosystems, yet they receive relatively lesser attention than trees in ecological studies. The difficulties in taxonomic assertions and lack of standard methodologies overlook climbers in plant inventories, resulting in the underrepresentation of climbers in regional floras. There is a growing consensus about the increasing abundance of climbers and their multifaceted role in tropical forests worldwide. Therefore, it is essential to understand the taxonomic diversity and ecology of climbers at the regional scale to substantiate our efforts towards constructing a global climber database, which serves as a reference for fundamental research in climber ecology and evolution. This book is of interest to biodiversity researchers, taxonomists, ecologists, and evolutionary biologists. Field biologists, forest managers, and naturalists will also find this a useful read.

Seagrasses are a vital and widespread but often overlooked coastal marine habitat. This volume provides a global survey of their distribution and conservation status.

Mangroves are typically tropical coastal ecosystems found in the inter-tidal zones of river deltas and back water areas. They represent highly dynamic and fragile ecosystems, yet they are the most productive and biologically diversified habitats of various life forms including plants, animals and microorganisms. Mangroves are a resource of many different products, including; microorganisms that harbor a diverse group of industrially important enzymes, antibiotics, therapeutic proteins and vaccines; timber resistant to rot and insects; and medicinal plants. Divided into three main parts, Biotechnological Utilization of Mangrove Resources first provides a broad introduction into mangrove ecology. Subsequent chapters discuss the biodiversity of mangroves, including the diverse nature of the organisms within the mangroves themselves. The final part pays special attention to biotechnological utilization of mangroves. Topics such as antimicrobial activity of mangrove-derived products, anti-oxidant activity of mangrove derived products and pharmaceutical applications, are covered in detail. Biotechnological Utilization of Mangrove Resources brings the latest research and technologies in mangrove biology into one platform, providing readers with an up-to-date view on the area. This would serve as an excellent reference book for researchers and students in the field of marine biology especially interested in mangrove ecosystems. - Highlights the diversity of different life forms in the mangrove ecosystem, including the importance of mangroves and mangrove-derived products. - Focuses on biotechnological utilization of mangrove resources such as antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of microorganisms, and industrial and pharmaceutical applications - Discusses the different modern tools and techniques used for the study of mangrove resources