Distribution and seasonality of the marine macrophytes from Antikyra Gulf (Viotia, Greece)

Abstract

The Gulf of Antikyra (Viotia) with a bauxitic substrate was aggravated by waste discharged from an aluminium factory where Parnassos bauxite is treated. Seasonal collections of macrophytes from stations selected inside the Antikyra Gulf were carried out. 85 species of macroalgae were collected totally, out of which 16 belonged to Chlorophyceae, 12 to Phaeophyceae and 57 to Rhodophyceae. There is no obvious difference in the qualitative composition of the macroalgae as we move away from the area where the waste is being discharged. Moreover, the stations where depths are greater exhibit different qualitative composition that those with smaller depths. The presence of phanerogams and especially that of Halophila stipulacea, the Lessepsian immigrant, encountered for the first time in the Korinthiakos Gulf, was also evident. The biomass of the three phanerogams decreased in the order: Posidonia oceanica>Cymodocea nodosa>Halophila stipulacea. The biomass of C. nodosa and P. oceanica was higher in July, while that of H. stipulacea was lower in July and higher in March and September.