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PATTERNS OF MACROALGAL SPECIES DIVERSITY IN DANISH ESTUARIES
Author(s) -
Middelboe Anne Lise,
SandJensen Kaj,
KrauseJensen Dorte
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of phycology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.85
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1529-8817
pISSN - 0022-3646
DOI - 10.1046/j.1529-8817.1998.340457.x
Subject(s) - estuary , species richness , salinity , biology , ecology , nutrient , biodiversity , species diversity , global biodiversity , oceanography , geology
We analyzed species number of macroalgae in relation to environmental variables at two spatial levels comprising 202 individual sites and 26 entire estuaries in Denmark. The species number of macroalgae increased with salinity and declined with nutrient concentrations both at the sites and in the estuaries. Availability of hard substratum was associated with higher species richness at the sites. The number of macroalgal species in the estuaries increased with higher mean depth and longer coastline, suggesting that both the vertical and horizontal extension of the colonization area are important for the maximum representation of macroalgal species. Mean depth explained as a single predictor 60% of the variability in species number in entire estuaries. Estuaries with high mean depth also tend to be large and have high salinity and transparent waters due to efficient exchange with open waters. In conclusion, we find that the regulation of species richness of macroalgae in Danish estuaries, though complex, is influenced predictably by salinity, water transparency, nutrient concentration, and availability of hard substrata.