Flora and bottom vegetation on the deepwater banks of the Mediterranean Sea

177 species of algae and 1 seagrass were identified for ten deep-sea hanks in the Mediterranean Sea (Aegean Sea, Tunisian Strait and Strait of Malta), red algae making up more than half of the number. Bottom vegetation includ es nein types of communities which occupy depths from 20 down to 115 m, and have polydominant, mosaic, multistratum structure. Algae flora of the bank s is temperate to warm-water, while half of the species are common to both the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.