Seaweed Succession on Artificial Reefs Placed in Different Depths at Ikata, Japan

Artificial reefs were set on a sandy bottom substratum at 8m, 10m and 13m depths along the coast in Muronohana, Ikata, Japan. Succession of seaweed communities was observed monthly or bimonthly from February 1999 to August 2000 on artificial reefs. Within one month, the diatom colonized on the reefs with coverage of $100\%$. After three months, Enteromorpha intestinalis and Colpomenia sinuosa dominated on the reef in the spring. Seaweed flora decreased during the summer and the dominant species were several species of Melobesioidea. In the winter, the seaweeds grew up again and the dominant species on the each reef were Sargassum spp., Ecklonia kurome and Padina arborescens after one year. The dominant species in the algal succession process changed from diatoms to the perennial seaweeds such as Sargassum spp., E. kurome and P. arborescens. Thus, the pattern of succession of the dominant species and the degree of domination were changed by the season, water depth and the recruitment of spores and eggs from the mature alga around the reefs.