Changes in Marine Algal Communities around Gijang Busan, Korea

Marine algal flora and community structure were investigated seasonally at three sites in Gijang on the south-east coast of Korea from February 2006 to January 2007. A Total of 74 species were collected and identified, including 8 green algae, 16 brown algae, and 50 red algae. Of these, 15 species were found throughout the survey period. Mean biomass was 823.2-1,615.4 g wet weight $m^{-2}$ in winter, 689.1-3,196.8 g wet weight $m^{-2}$ in spring, 574.5-1,219.9 g wet weight $m^{-2}$ in summer, and 747.6-1,616.2 g wet weight $m^{-2}$ in autumn. The flora could be classified into six functional groups: coarsely branched form (37.8%), thick leather form (18.9%), sheet form (13.5%), filamentous form (12.2%), jointed calcareous form (10.8%) and crustose form (6.8%). The R/P, C/P and (R+C)/P values reflecting the flora characteristics were 3.13, 0.50 and 3.63, respectively. The number of marine algae species and the biomass in Gijang area were markedly reduced when compared with previous studies. This result suggests possible future changes in the algal vegetation, considering the physical and chemical pollution loadings in the coastal marine environment of this area.

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