Marine Benthic Flora Research Articles

A Survey of Pharmaceutical Pollution in Marine Waters and Benthic Flora of the Southern Australian Coastline

A Survey of Pharmaceutical Pollution in Marine Waters and Benthic Flora of the Southern Australian Coastline

Hugh Bryan Spencer Womersley 1922–2011

Hugh Bryan Spencer Womersley disliked the word ‘seaweed’, and objected every time it was spoken in his presence. To him algae were not ‘weeds’ but beautiful organisms, well worthy of making the subject of a lifetime of scientific study. As was common in the middle of the twentieth century, Womersley did not begin his career as a phycologist, but rather found himself specialising in this life form after discovering how richly represented and little known it was along the coast of southern Australia. In his seventy-year association with the University of Adelaide, Bryan transformed the study of phycology in Australia, attracting a pool of talented students to contribute to his grand project of a marine benthic flora of southern Australia, and to carry the study of algae forward into the next generation. Being a pioneer in the field gave him opportunities for ground-breaking research and an overview of the discipline as it developed, positioning him as the leading expert on Australian algae in the international phycological community.

An Inventory of Marine Benthic Macroalgae of Hainan Island, China

In this review, the results of the study of marine benthic algal flora of Hainan Island, China, during the period from 1933 to 2015 are considered. It has been found that the local floristic diversity and taxonomic composition are similar to those of macroalgae from other large islands of the Indo-Pacific, where coral reefs are the main ecosystem of the shallow-water zone. An analysis of historical (decadal) changes in the marine benthic flora of Hainan has shown the following pattern of variations in the species diversity of macroalgae since the middle of the 20th century: a decline in low-productive epilithic algae with voluminous forms of thalli and an increase in highly productive opportunistic species with filamentous, fine filamentous, and membranous forms. These historical changes are thought to be caused by human impacts: inappropriate exploitation of coral reefs and eutrophication of coastal waters due to household sewage from large cities and discharge of mariculture wastes.

Bibliographical Checklist of marine and estuarine phytobenthos of Ilha Grande, Ilha Grande state park, Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

This paper is a taxonomically updated floristic inventory and a bibliographical summary of the marine and estuarine benthic flora located in the buffer zone of Ilha Grande State Park, Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (coordinates: latitude 22° 50’S between 23° 20’S and longitude 44° 00’W between 44° 45’W). A total of 26 papers were found dating from 1928 to 2016. The surveys at Ilha Grande can be divided into three periods: a) taxonomical studies at specific points, b) taxonomic in­ventories in certain areas, c) ecological surveys located in the north/northwest region of the island. A total of 256 phytobenthic taxa were recorded for Ilha Grande, which makes it the richest insular marine benthic flora published on the Brazilian coast. The richest taxonomic division was the Rhodophyta with 156 taxa, followed by the Chlorophyta division with 51 taxa and the Ochrophyta division with 49 taxa. The predominant orders were: red algae: a) Ceramiales (49%); b) brown algae: Ectocarpales (29%); c) green algae: Cladophorales (45%). The most frequent taxa were: green algae: Ulva flexuosa Wulfen subsp. flexuous and Ulva fasciata Delile (40% each); b) brown algae: Padina gymnospora (Kutzing) Sonder (47%), c) red algae: Gelidium sp. [= G. pusillum (Stackh.) Le Jol. var. pusillum (53%)].

The Saemangeum tidal flat: Long-term environmental and ecological changes in marine benthic flora and fauna in relation to the embankment

The present article presents a historical overview of the Saemangeum reclamation projects and key findings from the ecological studies of the Saemangeum tidal flat, highlighting the ecological impact against the grand reclamation project, as a model example, in Korea. First, the scientific efforts given to the area of interest, mainly the inner part of the dikes, during the construction periods of series of four dikes (1991–2006) were summarized in terms of the change of environmental condition followed by the ecological responses over the past 20 years. As part of review, we selected and reanalyzed our series of the Saemangeum data including the current works relating to the microphytobenthos and macrozoobenthos, where the spatio-temporal variations cross the benthos in association with dike effects were carefully discussed in detail. The species composition in the upper intertidal zone, situated relatively far from the dikes, have been lesser changed between the periods of before (1988) and during the dike construction (2003–05). However, the benthic assemblages appeared to be changed in the mid to the lower intertidal zones of several transects and such phenomenon strengthened for the locations near the completed dike, e.g., Sandong transect near the dike of sector IV. Meanwhile, changes of the representative zoning in benthic assemblages during the dike construction were much clearly observed for the faunal species rather than flora. Such long-term ecological impacts including the timely increase of the opportunistic species during the dike construction were further evidenced the compositional change of the dominant benthos spanning two decades or so. In general, a long-term change in benthic community structure clearly reflected the community level impact apparently due to the attenuation of tidal energy by the embankment, varying the degree of impacts depending on the geographical location. Interdisciplinary monitoring and modeling studies are highly recommended to track natural variations in water quality and ecosystem health. Overall a long-term ecological monitoring should be applied to direct sound policy toward conservation of tidal wetlands, by emphasizing the significant biodiversity decline and coastal landscape depreciation.

Check-list of the Basque coast benthic algae (North of Spain)

An annotated check-list of the marine benthic flora of the Spanish Basque coast, based on literature records and original data, is presented. According to the present taxonomy, the known list of algae totals 372 taxa (354 species and 18 infraspecific taxa), distributed as follows: 23 Cyanophyta, 221 Rhodophyta, 74 Heterokontophyta and 54 Chlorophyta. In addition, 16 taxa are considered as taxa inquirenda and 8 as taxa excludenda. For each taxon the vertical distribution, abundance estimation, and two first published records are given. Remarks on the most noteworthy features of the flora of the study area are included. The floristic character of Spanish Basque coast flora was compared with nearby regions applying Cheney’s ratio [(Rhodophyta+ Chlorophyta)/Phaeophyta, or (R+C)/P]. The resulting high value (4,09) indicates its warm-water character, which was already noted at the end of the XIX century. From a physionomical point of view, Basque benthic vegetation resembles more closely that of southern regions (S Portugal, Morocco). The warming process of waters off the Basque coast during summer up to 22 oC is responsible for the absence or very rare occurrence of cold temperate species like large fucoids and kelps, which are common in Galicia and Brittany, and explains the abundance of numerous warm-temperate species as ceramiaceous algae.

A long-term comparison of the benthic algal flora of Clare Island, County Mayo, western Ireland

The marine benthic algal flora of Clare Island, off County Mayo, western shore of Ireland, was investigated; collections of intertidal and subtidal marine algae were made at 16 sites along the eastern and southern shores in the years 1990, 1993 and 2000-2002. The data and observations obtained were compared with the results of a similar survey conducted by Arthur Disbrowe Cotton in 1910-1911. Considering the results of the original survey and the new survey together, the marine algal flora of the island currently totals 293 species; 224 species were recorded by Cotton in the original survey, whereas 223 species were identified in the present study. Most species are common to the original and the new list and the main differences are easily explainable; the new survey used SCUBA diving, which allowed the collection of several subtidal species not collected in 1910, and Cotton reported several microscopic green and brown algae, usually difficult to recognise in the field, which were not rediscovered. The most remarkable differences consist in the current presence of some large intertidal brown algae (Bifurcaria bifurcata, Cystoseira foeniculacea and Cystoseira nodicaulis) that were not reported in the survey of 1910. Two algae, Codium fragile subsp. tomentosoides and Asparagopsis armata, were introduced in Europe after the original survey. At present, the benthic algal assemblages of Clare Island still have basically the same structure and distribution as in 1910 and, if compared with other coastal areas of Europe, the intertidal marine environment of Clare Island appears remarkably well conserved.

Marine benthic flora of the Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia

– There is a lack of information regarding the marine benthic flora of northwest Western Australia and a comprehensive flora for the region has never been produced. A checklist of the marine benthic flora of the Dampier Archipelago collected during the Western Australian Museum expeditions of 1998/1999 is presented.

북극 스발바드 군도 Kongsfjorden의 해조상

Marine benthic flora was investigated in an Arctic bay. Specimens of chlorophyte, phaeophyte, and rhodophyte were collected and examined over the period from July to August 2003 from Kongsfjorden Spitsbergen in Svalbard Islands. A total of 28 genera and 32 species (5 chlorophytes, 18 phaeophytes, and 9 rhodophytes) was identified and described. A green alga Enteromorpha linza(Linnaeus) J. Agardh, a brown alga Asperococcus compresus Griffiths ex Hooker, and three red algae Gracilaria gracilis (Stackhouse) Steentoft et al., Rhodymenia pacifica Kylin and Schizochlaenion rhodotrichum Wynne et Norris were recorded in Svalbard Islands for the first time.

119 Marine Algae of Pohnpei and Ant Atoll with Comparisons to Other Pacific Atolls and Island Groups

A study of benthic marine algae collected from Pohnpei Island and Ant Atoll, Federated States of Micronesia, documented the occurrence of 113 species of red algae (Rhodophyta), 60 species of green algae (Chlorophyta) and 17 species of brown algae (Phaeophyta), many of which are new records for Pohnpei, Ant Atoll and Micronesia. Added to reports from the literature, a total known marine benthic flora of Ant and Pohnpei (exclusive of Cyanobacteria and crustose coralline algae) now stands at 241. The high island, volcanic nature, and larger size of Pohnpei which is very different from the low, calcareous geomorphology of smaller Ant Atoll, led us to expect higher species numbers from Pohnpei relative to Ant, and greater differences in their algal floras than we found. Comparisons of the Ant‐Pohnpei algal flora were also made using Jaccard and Sorensen's indices to Ifaluk Atoll (Caroline Islands), Enewetak Atoll (Marshall Islands), the Northern Mariana Islands, and the distant south Pacific island groups of Fiji and French Polynesia. Biogeographical investigation of the marine algae flora revealed that Ant Atoll and Pohnpei have a large number of widespread and Indo‐Pacific species, but very few probable regional endemics.

Marine benthic algae of Namibia

The first comprehensive study of the marine algal flora of Namibia including descriptions and illustrations of most species is presented. The main objective of this work is to report a flora that, until now, has scarcely been studied. The work compiles all the available information on the marine benthic flora of Namibia and provides new data about it composition and biogeography, as well as detailed descriptions and remarks of most of its species. The samples on which this study is based were collected between 1986 and 1989 in the eulittoral and the upper sublittoral zones of the north half of the Namibian coast. According to the present data, the marine benthic flora of Namibia comprises 196 taxa (147 Rhodophyceae, 20 Phaeophyceae, 15 Ulvophyceae, 6 Cladophorophyceae and 8 Bryopsidophyceae), 21 of which has not been recorded from this coasts. This temperate flora is mainly characterized by a low number of species, a low proportion of Phaeophyceae and a high degree of endemism. Concerning the species number, the flora is quite poor due to both the scarce availability of colonizable substratum and the low diversity of habitats. On the other hand, the low proportion of Phaeophyceae is the reason for which the R/P and (R+C)/P ratios take disproportionately high values and so they are not useful in this geographical area. As regards the degree of endemism, the marine benthic flora of Namibia includes quite a high number of taxa endemic to southern Africa (55 taxa; 28.1% of the flora); 25 of these 55 taxa (12.8% of the flora) are endemic to the biogeographic Benguela Marine Province and only Acrosorium cincinnatum is endemic to the Namibian coasts.

New records of the Chlorophyta from South Africa, with the emphasis on the marine benthic flora of KwaZulu-Natal

Eleven species of marine Chlorophyta that have not previously been reported for South Africa have been found on the coast of Kwazulu-Natal: Avrainvillea cf. riukiuensis Yamada; Boodleopsis pusilla (Collins) W.R. Taylor, Joly & Bernatowicz; Bornetella nitida Sonder; Caulerpa serrulata (Forsskal) J. Agardh; C. taxifolia (Vahl) C. Agardh; Chaetomorpha spiralis Okamura; Cladophoropsis sundanensis Reinbold; Halimeda gracilis Harvey ex J. Agardh; Neomeris annulata Dickie; Neomeris bilimbata Koster; Udotea indica A. Gepp & E. Gepp. Three of the above genera (Avrainvillea, Boodleopsis and Bornetella) are new for South Africa. Descriptions and illustrations are provided for each species. Furthermore the species are compared with other similar species in the area and their ecology and biogeography are briefly discussed.

Marine macroalgal biodiversity hotspots: why is there high species richness and endemism in southern Australian marine benthic flora?

The southern Australian marine macroalgal flora has the highest levels of species richness and endemism of any regional macroalgal flora in the world. Analyses of species composition and distributions for the southern Australian flora have identified four different floristic elements, namely the southern Australian endemic element, the widely distributed temperate element, the tropical element and a cold water element. Within the southern Australian endemic element, four species distribution patterns are apparent, thought to largely result from the Jurassic to Oligocene fragmentation of East Gondwana, the subsequent migration of Tethyan ancestors from the west Australian coast and the later invasion of high latitude Pacific species. Climatic deterioration from the late Eocene to the present is thought responsible for the replacement of the previous tropical south coast flora by an endemic temperate flora which has subsequently diversified in response to fluctuating environmental conditions, abundant rocky substrata and substantial habitat heterogeneity. High levels of endemism are attributed to Australia's long isolation and maintained, as is the high species richness, by the lack of recent mass extinction events. The warm water Leeuwin Current has had profound influence in the region since the Eocene, flowing to disperse macroalgal species onto the south coast as well as ameliorating the local environment. It is now evident that the high species richness and endemism we now observe in the southern Australian marine macroalgal flora can be attributed to a complex interaction of biogeographical, ecological and phylogenetic processes over the last 160 million years.

Patterns of macroalgal distribution in the Kattegat-Baltic region

The decline of species diversity of benthic macroalgae in estuaries has been explained mainly by the physiological restrictions imposed by reduced salinity, although a complex of factors is likely to influence the distribution. A comprehensive distributional index for the 422 species of benthic marine macroalgae in 22 districts of the Kattegat-Baltic brackish region provided an opportunity to analyze in detail the factors regulating species number and composition. Kattegat is the source area for the predominantly marine benthic algal flora of the Baltic Sea. The narrow Danish straits are the main barriers to exchange of species and water between Kattegat and the Baltic, and patterns of species distribution suggest that the wider and deeper strait (Great Belt) has formed the least stressful and most important dispersal route. Species number and composition of benthic macroalgae across the entire region were closely related to both salinity and distance from the source area. Though these two factors are correlated, we found support for the separate influence of declining salinity by the steeper reduction of species number among the predominantly marine groups of red and brown algae than among the mixed marine–freshwater green algae and by the profound reduction of species number over short distances into Øresund. The influence of dispersal barriers was supported by the much stronger numerical reduction from Kattegat to the Baltic of nondominant rather than dominant marine species and by the continued reduction of species number over long distances, but small salinity gradients, across the Baltic Sea. Within the restricted salinity range of the Baltic Sea, districts with rocky coasts suitable for attachment and survival of benthic macroalgae supported more species than districts with moraine coasts, along which benthic macroalgae are confined to scattered stones surrounded by soft-bottom sediments.

EVOLUTION OF THE ANTARCTIC MARINE BENTHIC ALGAL FLORA

ABSTRACTThere are many logistic difficulties associated with studying Antarctic marine algae and, as a consequence, the taxonomic information available is far from comprehensive and any generalizations should be regarded with caution. The Antarctic marine benthic flora is characterized by a low species richness. Biogeographical characteristics of the flora are outlined. There is a high degree of endemism, possibly around 35–40%. Other major floristic elements are a group of species with a distribution extending to Tierra del Fuego and subantarctic islands, a group spread through temperate regions of the Southern Hemisphere, and a cosmopolitan group. Ecological observations show that ice has a major effect on the occurrence and distribution of algae, and ecophysiological studies indicate that Antarctic macroalgae possess various adaptations to ice, low temperatures, and strongly seasonal light conditions. Possible trends in the evolution of the Antarctic benthic marine flora, including a reduction in species richness and the origins of biogeographical links with subantarctic and temperate regions of the Southern Hemisphere, are discussed in the context of tectonic and climatic changes over the past 100 million years. A comparison is made with studies on the evolution of shallow‐water marine fauna.

The marine benthic flora of the Cape Hangklip area and its phytogeographical affinities

A detailed collection of intertidal and subtidal marine macroalgal species from the Cape Hangklip area, a site centrally located in the south coast/west coast overlap, yielded a list of 199 taxa (27 Chlorophyta, 25 Phaeophyta, 147 Rhodophyta). The list of taxa included four new records for southern Africa ( Aphanocladia cf. skottsbergii, Audouinella endophytica, Centroceras distichum and Grateloupia doryphora ), five undescribed species ( Antithamnion sp., Colaconema sp., Erythrocladia sp., Erythroglossum sp. and Pterosiphonia sp.) and one rhodophyte of uncertain affinity, probably representing a new genus in the Ceramiaceae. A new combination, Colaconema caespitosum (J. Ag.) comb. nov. is proposed. A summary of the distribution of 170 species with adequate distribution records indicates that there is no dominance of species with warm-water or cold-water affinities. It is demonstrated that the south coast/west coast overlap area contains many west and south coast species which reach the limit of their ranges here.

Preservation of Marine Benthic Flora and Habitats in Brazil

Preservation of Marine Benthic Flora and Habitats in Brazil

The marine benthic flora of southern Australia. Part I

The marine benthic flora of southern Australia. Part I

The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia Part I

The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia Part I