Ecological Characteristic of Brown Algae Communities – Potential Aquaculture Objects

Abstract

The benthic brown algae communities in coastal zone of southwest part of the Barents Sea have been studied. Research was carried out on the structure of benthic phytocenosis on the Murman coast in which edificators are brown seaweeds of the orders Fucales and Laminariales. The study focused on the dynamics of populations, size and age features against influence of the basic ecological factors on growth of commercial seaweeds - potential objects of mariculture. It is established that benthic phytocenosis on certain biotopes of littoral and sublittoral zones characterize by relativity high species diversity. The populations of commercial seaweeds form the multilevel structured benthic communities. The algae populations create topical, trophic and mediative connections which provide for steady stability of benthic communities. The use of plant community rather than individual algae species as biological indicators and biomonitors allows obtaining more complete information about the ecological state of benthic coastal ecosystem. The information collected can be used for the biological monitoring of marine bioresources in natural benthic communities, and also for cultivation of brown seaweeds under conditions of aquaculture.