Cd. Amsler et al., VERTICAL-DISTRIBUTION OF ANTARCTIC PENINSULAR MACROALGAE - COVER, BIOMASS AND SPECIES COMPOSITION, Phycologia, 34(5), 1995, pp. 424-430
The biomass and percentage cover of subtidal macroalgae were recorded
at five sites near Anvers Island, along the Antarctic Peninsula (64 de
grees S, 64 degrees W) in 1989. Total macroalgal wet biomass ranged fr
om 1.64 to 6.34 kg m(-2). The largest biomass contributors were the la
rge overstory brown algae (Phaeophyceae) Desmarestia antarctica Moe et
Silva, Desmarestia menziesii. J. Agardh, Desmarestia anceps Montagne
and Himantothallus grandifolius (Skottsberg) Zinova. These species had
an overall cover of 72% of the bottom. D. menziesii and/or D. anceps
were dominant at 2 and 5 m. D. antarctica dominated the overstory at 1
0 and 15 m. H. grandifolius was also abundant at 15 m and dominated at
20 m. Several red macroalgae (Rhodophyta) were also conspicuous: Irid
aea cordata (Turner) Bory and Curdiea racovitzae Harlot at 2 and 5 m;
Myriogramme mangini (Gain) Skottsberg and Plocamium cartilagineum (Lin
naeus) Dixon at 10 and 15 m; and Gigartina skottsbergii Setchell et Ga
rdner and Sarcodia montagneana (Hooker et Harvey) J. Agardh at 15 and
20 m. The presence of large quantities of epilithic D. antarctica at 1
0 and 15 m was very unusual, as this species has previously been descr
ibed as an obligate epiphyte with a depth distribution restricted to <
10 m.