Flora and Community Structure of Benthic Marine Algae in Ilkwang Bay, Korea

한국 일광만 저서 해조류의 해조상과 군집구조

Marine algal flora and community structure were investigated seasonally at three sites in Ilkwang Bay on the southern east coast of Korea from May 2007 to February 2008. Total 103 species including 10 of green algae, 17 of brown algae, 76 of red algae were collected and identified. Among these species, 21 species were found throughout the year. Ulva pertusa, Enteromorpha linza, Grateloupia lanceolata, Chondracanthus intermedia and Caulacanthus ustulatus were distributed dominantly in upper intertidal zone. By contrast, crustose coralline algae, Grateloupia spp., Chondracanthus tenellus, Prionitis cornea and Sargassum spp. occurred predominantly in middle intertidal zone. Grateloupia spp., Sargassum spp., Ecklonia cava and Ulva pertusa were dominant in lower intertidal zone. Annual mean biomass in wet weight was 478.3 g m$^{-2}$. Maximum biomass was recorded in site 1 (731.8 g m$^{-2}$), and minimum was recorded in site 3 (78.5 g m$^{-2}$). The R/P, C/P and (R + C)/P value reflecting flora characteristics were 4.47, 0.59 and 5.06, respectively. Two groups produced by cluster analysis, one including sites 1, 2 and the other including site 3, showed meaningful difference in similarity, each other. Site 3 showed the limited species composition due to inflow of fresh water and absence of solid substratum. However, there was no significant difference between site 1 and site 2. In conclusion, the number of marine algae species and biomass in Ilkwang Bay were markedly reduced comparing with the previous studies. These suggest that a solution for reconstruction of the poor marine algal vegetation is considerably demanded.