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Journal of Threatened Taxa Building evidence for conservaton globally www.threatenedtaxa.org ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Short Communication Observations on the female flowers and fruiting of Tape Grass Enhalus acoroides from South Andaman Islands, India Vardhan Patankar, Tanmay Wagh & ZoyaTyabji 26 March 2019 | Vol. 11 | No. 5 | Pages: 13617–13621 DOI: 10.11609/jot.4253.11.5.13617-13621 For Focus, Scope, Aims, Policies, and Guidelines visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-0 For Artcle Submission Guidelines, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions For Policies against Scientfc Misconduct, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-2 For reprints, contact <[email protected]> The opinions expressed by the authors do not refect the views of the Journal of Threatened Taxa, Wildlife Informaton Liaison Development Society, Zoo Outreach Organizaton, or any of the partners. 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Partner Member Threatened Taxa Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 March 2019 | 11(5): 13617–13621 Observations on the female flowers and fruiting of Tape Grass Enhalus acoroides from South Andaman Islands, India ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) Short Communication Short ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Vardhan Patankar 1 , Tanmay Wagh 2 & Zoya Tyabji 3 PLATINUM 1,2,3 Wildlife Conservaton Society, 551, 7th Main Road, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, 2nd Phase, Kodigehalli, Bengaluru, OPEN ACCESS Karnataka 560097, India. 1,2 Tata Insttute of Fundamental Research, Natonal Centre for Biological Sciences, GKVK Campus, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560065, India. 3 Andaman Nicobar Environment Team - Centre for Island Ecology, Post Bag 1, Junglighat P.O., Port Blair, Andaman Islands 744103, India. 1 [email protected] (corresponding author), 2 [email protected], 3 [email protected] Abstract: Documentng phenologic events is crucial in obtaining Seagrasses are marine angiosperms usually confned deeper insights into the life cycle of seagrasses. We documented and to sandy substrates in shallow temperate and tropical compared the fowering and fruitng of the seagrass Enhalus acoroides from multspecies seagrass meadows at two sites, Henry Lawrence waters throughout the world (Vermaat et al. 2004; Fortes and Tarmugli islands located inside the marine natonal parks in South 2013). Sixty seagrass species are reported globally, of Andaman Islands. At these two locatons, the average density of shoots ranged between 30.9/m2 and 18.16/m2, fruits between 5/m2 which 14 species are found in the Indo-Pacifc (Short and 2.33/m2, and fowers between 6.7/m2 and 3.83/m2, whereas the et al. 2007). Throughout their distributon, seagrasses mean length of the peduncles ranged from 40.59cm at Henry Lawrence are threatened by trawl fshing, sand mining, coastal to 32.44cm at Tarmugli Island. We observed signifcant diferences between the densites of shoots and fruits and peduncle lengths in the constructon, nutrient enrichment, sewage, and other two sites. The density of fowers, however, did not vary signifcantly. terrestrial pollutants (Duarte 2002; Baden et al. 2003; These observatons of fruitng and fowering in E. acoroides establish an Short & Waycot 2010). One of the consequences of these important reproductve stage in the life cycle of the species and open avenues for further seagrass research in the Andaman Islands. We pressures is meadow fragmentaton, which lowers seed describe the fndings and emphasize on the need to establish a long- output and is considered one of the reasons for seagrass term phenology monitoring program for E. acoroides in the Andaman declines worldwide (Green et al. 2003; Unsworth & Archipelago. Cullen 2010). Realizing their ecologic importance, many Keywords: Andaman Islands, fowering, Henry Lawrence Island, marine countries have provided varying degrees of protecton to natonal park, phenology, seagrass, Tarmugli Island. seagrass meadows (Short & Waycot 2010). DOI: htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.4253.11.5.13617-13621 Editor: Anonymity requested. Date of publicaton: 26 March 2019 (online & print) Manuscript details: #4253 | Received 14 May 2018 | Final received 02 August 2018 | Finally accepted 20 March 2019 Citaton: Patankar, V., T. Wagh & Z. Tyabji (2019). Observatons on the female fowers and fruitng of Tape Grass Enhalus acoroides from South Andaman Islands, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 11(5): 13617–13621. htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.4253.11.5.13617-13621 Copyright: © Patankar et al. 2019. Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of this artcle in any medium by adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton. Funding: Department of Science and Technology, Andaman Nicobar Forest Department Competng interests: The authors declare no competng interests. Acknowledgements: The study was conducted with support from the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, under the DST-INSPIRE Faculty Programme. We would like to thank the Andaman and Nicobar Administraton and the Department of Environment and Forests, Port Blair, for grantng us permits to carry out this work. The Divisional Forest Ofcer, Mr Shazi Abraham, and the Deputy Conservator of Forests, Mr Naveen Kumar, provided us with feld assistants and a boat for reef surveys. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ Environmental Team (ANET) and Nature Conservaton Foundaton (NCF) helped with SCUBA equipment and feld logistcs. We especially thank range ofcers, Mr A.K. Singh and Mr Jason John, for feld assistance and data collecton. 13617 Tape Grass in South Andaman Islands Patankar et al. Amongst these, the Tape Grass Enhalus acoroides into their ecology and to develop efectve conservaton (L.f.) Royle, which is distributed throughout the Indo- strategies. Pacifc (Short & Waycot 2010), is the tallest species with Sexual reproducton (characterized by fowering leathery leaves which can grow up to 150cm. Due to and fruitng) is an important event in the life history of its large shoot size, E. acoroides forms one of the major Enhalus acoroides as they release foatng propagules contributors to the productvity and biomass of seagrass into the water column, which helps in recolonizaton of meadows (Brouns & Heijs 1986; Rollón 1998). Clumps new areas (Rollón et al. 2003). This also helps in mixing of this species form important habitats for juvenile of genes, which is an important evolutonary adaptaton fsh, benthic invertebrates, and scores of burrowing to cope with environment changes (Marbà & Walker organisms (Nakamura & Sano 2004, 2005). It is a source 1999; Alexandre et al. 2006). Thus, understanding of nutrients for the Green Sea Turtle Chelonia mydas and the fowering season in E. acoroides is of partcular a few reports indicate feeding of Dugong Dugong dugon importance. There, however, is limited informaton on its shoots (Nair et al. 1975; Erfemeijer et al. 1993; on the fowering and fruitng of E. acoroides and most Andre et al. 2005; Adulyanukosol & Poovachiranon studies are limited to taxonomic documentaton and 2006; D’Souza et al. 2013). Enhalus acoroides is distributon of the species across the island chain. In such dioecious, fowering twice a year from March to July and a scenario, opportunistc natural history observatons of November to December (Rollón 1998; Rollón et al. 2003; E. acoroides can act as baselines and probe hypothesis- Vermaat et al. 2004). In view of Enhalus’ hydrophobic driven studies on the phenology, ecology, and biology mode of pollinaton (Ratanachot & Prathep 2011), this of the species. We report the observatons on the fowering, when compared to that of other seagrass fowering and fruitng phenomenon of E. acoroides at species, is unique in that the male fowers are released two important seagrass meadows, Henry Lawrence and for surface pollinaton whereas the female fowers have Tarmugli islands in the South Andaman group of islands. to extend their coiled peduncles (stalk bearing the fruit or fower) to the water surface to capture pollen Material and methods (Johntone 1979; Rollón et al. 2003). Once the pollinaton Study area is complete, the female peduncle coils back towards the The study was carried out at Henry Lawrence botom (Sulochanan & Korabu 2009). The length of the (12.1300N & 93.0990E) and Tarmugli (11.5890N & peduncle increases with increase in depth (Johnstone 92.5310E) islands in the Andaman Archipelago (Fig. 1979; Rollón 1998) and the peduncles terminate into 1). Henry Lawrence Island is part of the Rani Jhansi pinkish-green fowers, the ovaries of which pollinate Marine Natonal Park (RJMNP) in Ritchie’s Archipelago, into green, bulbous fruits (Sulochanan & Korabu 2009). South Andaman, and covers an area of 54.7km2 (Singh In India, Enhalus acoroides is reported from the Palk