Quantification of Photosynthetic Pigments of Plants, Water and Sediment Samples in Chirackal and Kattiparambu of Ernakulam District, Kerala

Aims: The present study intended to investigate the pigment composition of four selected mangrove
plants viz., Avicennia officinalis, Excoecaria agallocha, Rhizophora mucronata and Sonneratia alba
and water and sediment samples. And to quantify the concentration of various pigments found in the
above samples.
Place and Duration of Study: The samples were collected from the mangrove creeks of Chirackal
and Kattiparambu of Ernakulam district, Kerala. Duration of the study was from 2013 December to
2015 December.
Methodology: The estimation of the total pigments, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoid
concentration of the biotic samples, water and sediments were done using standard methods in
Spectrophotometer.
Results: Plants showed high pigment concentration compared to water and sediments. High
chlorophyll ‘a’ (2 mg/g), chlorophyll ‘b’ (0.8 mg/g) and total chlorophyll (2.74 mg/g) were observed in
Excoecaria agallocha of Kattiparambu and carotenoids (0.72 mg/g) observed in Rhizophora
mucronata, Chirackal. In sediment samples, high chlorophyll ‘a’ (0.85 mg/g), total chlorophylls (1.31
mg/g) and carotenoids (0.725 mg/g) were observed in Chirackal area and chlorophyll ‘b’ (0.595 mg/g)
obtained in Kattiparambu. Chlorophyll ‘b’ (0.6 mg/g) and carotenoids (0.86 mg/g) were reported high
in the water samples of Kattiparambu region and chlorophyll ‘a’ (0.61 mg/g) and total chlorophylls
(0.86 mg/g) in Chirackal. In Pearson’s correlation coefficient studies, the content of KEA-chlorophyll
was found to have a strong positive correlation among other mangrove species and some sediment
samples.
Conclusion: Seasonal changes and local geological conditions are the major factors for variations in
pigment concentrations in plants, water and sediment samples. Sediment pigments proved to be good
indicators of lake-ecosystem response to climate change and long-term variability in the photo trophic
community. The pigment content was influenced by environmental parameters. Temporal and
seasonal changes and local geological conditions may be the reasons for variations in pigment
concentrations in plants, water and sediment samples. Sediment pigments proved to be good
indicators of lake-ecosystem response to climate change and long-term variability in the photo trophic
community, which is needed for predicting possible effects of future climate change. It was also
recognized that the quality of the pigment record is highly dependent on the preservation regime in
the sediment and water. Increase of pigment concentration accelerate the performance of
photosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism, which help to maintain the balance of ecosystem and
the rejuvenation of life as a whole. Therefore further study in this context is recommended.