Microphytobenthic biomass, species composition and environmental gradients in the mangrove intertidal region of the Andaman Archipelago, India.

Monthly sampling in mangrove intertidal sediments of Andaman Archipelago was carried out during a 1-year study (January to December, 2013) in order to analyse the spatial and temporal distribution of microphytobenthos (MPB) and MPB biomass (sediment chlorophyll-a (chl-a)) in the surficial layer 0-1 cm. The MPB community was mainly composed of diatoms. The MPB biomass concentration in surface sediment (0-1 cm) ranged from 0.