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The effect of Ruppia cirrhosa features on macroalgae and suspended matter in a Mediterranean shallow system
Author(s) -
Mannino Anna Maria,
Sarà Gianluca
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
marine ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.668
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1439-0485
pISSN - 0173-9565
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0485.2006.00127.x
Subject(s) - seagrass , species richness , mediterranean climate , mediterranean sea , ecology , chlorophyll a , oceanography , biology , water column , environmental science , botany , ecosystem , geology
Relationships among chemical–physical features, total gross suspended organic matter, coverage of the seagrass Ruppia cirrhosa and its associated algal community in eight ponds of a saltworks system of western Sicily (Mediterranean Sea) were investigated in spring and summer 2004. All biological features varied both at different levels of seagrass coverage and between seasons. A low algal diversity (46 taxa, 14.75 ± 1.41 on average) was highlighted; algal coverage and species richness showed to be negatively correlated. Ruppia cirrhosa coverage was negatively correlated with algal coverage, but positively correlated with species richness. Moreover, a significant correlation among R. cirrhosa coverage, the availability of suspended matter in the water column and the chlorophyll a concentration was detected.