Production of fucoid brown algae Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus vesiculosus in the White Sea

Abstract

Year-round studies of photosynthesis and respiration in the fucoid brown algae Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus vesiculosus in the White Sea were performed. The annual specific production of the macrophytes was determined to be 1314 and 1642 cal/g of wet weight for A. nodosum and F. vesiculosus, respectively. The total annual production of fucoids (4.88 × 1011 kcal) comprised about 0.8% of the phytoplankton production in the White Sea. © 2009 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.