Abstract
The composition and abundance of macroalgal propagules contained in sea water arriving at intertidal rocky shores was estimated monthly at Pelancura, central Chile, from June to December, 1984. Samples from surface water and from water running off rocky platforms with mixed algal vegetation were cultured in laboratory conditions and examined for development of sporelings. Thirty eight macroalgal entities grew in the cultures, 75% of them with opportunistic life-styles. The total number of sporelings was similar in the surface water of sites separated by 300 m. Marked variability in composition and number of sporelings was, however, observed between samples taken simultaneously at one site and between different months, suggesting patchiness in the dispersal of propagules. Marked differences were established in the ratio run-off water/surface water in the number of sporelings, which could be related to the dispersal shadows of the various taxa. Sporelings of late successional algae showed marked spatial and temporal variations in number. Some taxa of opportunistic algae were characterized by the development of several thousand sporelings per litre of sea water while in others the number of sporelings was two or three orders of magnitude less, suggesting differences in reproductive effort.
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