Practice question

Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park and Biosphere Reserve in Tamil Nadu, encompassing 21 coral islands between Rameswaram and Tuticorin, hosts productive seagrass meadows of Cymodocea serrulata and Halodule supporting dugong Dugong dugon, large marine herbivore also called sea cow, weighing up to 400 kg. Dugong grazes exclusively on seagrass, indicating pristine marine pasture health, listed vulnerable globally and Schedule I in Wildlife Protection Act. Entanglement in fishing nets and seagrass disappearance drive decline demanding fishing regulation. Remembering this distinction is crucial for solving taxonomy application questions in GATE and CSIR-NET life sciences papers.