A Review: On Threat to Biodiversity of Marine Ecosystem

Abstract

  India has been endowed with a vast variety of marine ecosystem and bio-diversity, which sustains a large number of species and the coastal populace, is dependent on the resources from this marine ecosystem. The effects of ocean pollution causes harm to living resources, disruption of marine activities, degradation of seawater quality, and also damage to the maritime industry. As excess debris & melting of permafrost in the ocean slowly degrades over many years and resulting in low level of oxygen in the ocean, which lead to the death of oceanic animals such as penguins, dolphins, whales, and sharks etc. The coastal areas of India, with a coast line of over 7500 km harbour a variety of specialized marine ecosystems like mangroves, coral reefs, salt lakes and mud flats which mainly from the habitat for endangered marine species and commercially important marine flora and fauna. A number of chemicals, elements, heavy metals poisoning, petro- chemical and other industrial waste in the coastal areas have resulted in significant discharge of industrial effluents into the coastal water bodies.

  An area of 6700 sq. km under mangroves is under pressure due to fishing, land use changes in land-sea interface and pollution of water. Ecological impacts of invasion are complex & dependent on the interaction between the invaders and the native community. Non-indigenous species can rapidly monopolize energy resources, act as voracious predators, overcome endemic species, or transmit parasites and diseases that can be passed to humans through the food chain of ecosystem or direct exposure. This study also focuses on the marine species invasions have been ranked the most serious potential source of stress to marine ecosystems. Only ethical & societal values contribute to define these environmental and social- economic impacts as deleterious or beneficial to our bio-diversity.

Keywords: - Marine biodiversity, invasive species, coastal pollution, coral reefs & C. riisei