Marine ecosystems that form the marine environment are the largest habitats on Earth for a diversified group of organisms. The biotic community of marine envi­ronments is dominated by microalgae. They are among the largest primary pro­ducers of biomass in the marine environment and are common inhabitants of the tidal and intertidal areas of the marine ecosystem. These algae exhibit a character­istic geographical distribution pattern under the influence of several environmen­tal factors (Vijayaraghavan and Kaur, 1997). Nevertheless, the coastal ecosystem in the marine environment is very complex where all organisms exist in mutual dependency. Although considerable attention has been paid to distribution, abun­dance, growth, culture, biochemical constituents, by-products, and bioactivity of marine algae in different parts of the world (Faulkner, 1984), information is avail­able on the microbes, planktonic and faunal associates of marine algae, and the impact of various environmental factors on their distribution. The algal biotope with its morphological diversity is considered important in providing food, living space, and refuge, and offers a variety of potential habitats for the faunal spe­cies, including planktonic forms. A detailed investigation is therefore necessary to understand the actual nature of the association between algae and other forms to appreciate the potential importance of this interaction in the marine ecosystem. Steele (1988) described the “heuristic projection,” which illustrates the scales of importance in monitoring pelagic components of the ecological unit. The large marine ecosystem (LME) approach defines a spatial domain based on ecological principles and, thereby, provides a basis for focused temporal and spatial scientific research and monitoring efforts in support of management aimed at the long-term productivity and sustainability of marine habitats and resources. The plankton of LMEs can be studied by deploying Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) sys­tems (Glover, 1967) through commercial vessels. Advanced plankton recorders can be installed with sensors for intense recording of temperature, salinity, chlo­rophyll, nitrate/nitrite, petroleum hydrocarbons, light, bioluminescence, and pri­mary productivity (UNESCO, 1992; Williams, 1993), which will help monitor the changes in phytoplankton composition, dominance, and long-standing changes in the physical and nutrient characteristics of the LME. In addition, longer-term changes in relation to the biofeedback of the plankton community toward adverse climate may also be clearly understood (Hayes et al., 1993; Jossi and Goulet, 1993; Williams, 1993).

The phytoplankton community includes 5,000 marine species of unicellular algae and has a broad diversity of cell size (mostly in the range of 1 to 100 pm), morphology, physiology, and biochemical composition (Margalef, 1978). All phy­toplankton species are capable of photosynthesis, and many have the capacity for rapid cell division and population growth—up to four doublings per day. The popu­lation dynamics of the phytoplankton can be interpreted as responses to changes in the individual processes that regulate the biomass (total quantity, in measures such as carbon, nitrogen, or chlorophyll concentration), species composition, and spatial distribution of the phytoplankton population. Phytoplankton have a wide distribution in all habitats of the marine environment and play a major role in the food chain of an aquatic ecosystem. Some of the phytoplankton species also act as bio-indicators, reflecting changes in the environment. Different hydrobiological parameters, such as pH, temperature, salinity, alkalinity, nutrient concentration, solar radiation, etc., determine species composition, diversity, succession, and abundance of phytoplank­ton (Perumal et al., 1999; Redekar and Wagh, 2000a, b). Remarkable changes in the irradiance toward phytoplankton could occur due to changing seasonal, diurnal cycles and weather conditions. Diatoms are the significant and often dominant con­stituent of benthic microalgal communities in estuarine and shallow coastal regions (Sullivan, 1999).

The taxonomy of the most common species with reliable distributional informa­tion and records will allow for the design of ecological role models incorporating the effects of climatic parameters, which would be very useful in predicting shifts in distribution due to climatic changes.

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