Settlement of seaweeds on coastal structures

✍ Scribed by A. Watanuki; A. Yamamoto

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 331 KB
• Volume: 204-205
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1573-5141
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00040245

✦ Synopsis

Coastal structures are constructed principally to protect the coast line . However, these structures also can act as artificial substrata for seaweeds . In particular, armor blocks, such as tetrapods, prove to be good algal substrata . Our field observations on the vegetation and standing crop of seaweed communities on armor blocks led us to the following conclusions : 1) Ecklonia cava communities grew on tetrapods that had been placed to coincide with the maturation period of E . cava . The communities have been maintained for more than four years . 2) The standing crop of seaweeds on an offshore breakwater composed of tetrapods placed seven years before was almost the same as that found under natural conditions . 3) Variations in roughened surfaces (pebbles or scores and grooves 3 or 46 mm wide) did not affect the growth of Sargassum spp . However, a greater number of Ecklonia stolonifera plants were observed attached to roughened surfaces compared to smooth surfaces .