Marine algal flora and community structure of medicinal seaweeds were examined at Kkotji of Taean Peninsula, Korea from May 2005 to January 2006. Seventy-nine seaweeds including 42 medicinal algae and one marine plant were identified. Sargassum thunbergii was the representative alga occurred at all seasons and shore levels. The dominant medicinal seaweeds were perennial S. thunbergii, Neorhodomela aculeata, and Corallina pilulifera, and ephemeral Monostroma grevillei, Porphyra yezoensis, and Ulva pertusa. Their vertical distribution were N. aculeata-P. yezoensis, M. grevillei, and U. pertusa-C. pilulifera from high to low intertidal zone. The average biomass of medicinal seaweeds varied from 34.17 g m-2 in spring to 56.41 g m-2 in summer. At Kkotji shore, the opportunistic species (Enteromorpha, Ulva, and Cladophora) and turf-forming algae (Caulacanthus okamurae and Gelidium divaricatum) were easily observed. Such fast growing ESG II (ecological state group) was 87.50% and slow growing perennial algae, ESG I was only 12.15%. Also, diversity index (H') and dominance index (DI) indicate that the seaweed community of Kkotji is unstable. Therefore, Kkotji rocky shore should be more protected from human activities such as turbulence and eutrophication in order to maintain species diversity and abundance of medicinal seaweeds.

No abstract

The benthic algal community structures of the seaweed biomass, vertical distribution of dominant seaweeds, and species composition were examined on the rocky shores of Ongdo, Jusamdo, and Woejodo Islands, Korea, in August 2006. A total of 68 seaweeds were identified, comprising 5 green, 11 brown, and 52 red algae from the three study sites. The number of species at Ongdo (32 species) was less than that at Jusamdo (45 species) and Woejodo (44 species). Jusamdo exhibited the maximum seaweed biomass (73.99 g dry wt/m 2 ), while the minimum value was found at Woejodo (36.90 g dry wt/m 2 ). On the three islands, coarsely branched forms were the most dominant functional group in terms of species number and biomass among benthic algal species. The dominant species were Gelidium amansii, Chondrus ocellatus, and Chrysymenia wrightii at Ongdo, Sargasum thunbergii, Ulva pertusa, and Sargassum fusiformis at Jusamdo, and U. pertusa, Undaria pinnatifida, and Corallina pilulifera at Woejodo. Perennial seaweeds were abundant at Ongdo (G. amansii and C. ocellatus) and Jusamdo (S. thunbergii and S. fusiformis), whereas the sheet form of U. pertusa was relatively abundant at Woejodo Island.

No abstract

Seasonal and vertical variations of seaweed biomass were examined at Woejodo and Jusamdo of western sea, Korea from July 2006 to April 2007. Annual seaweed biomass was 198.27 g m-2 in wet weight at Woejodo and 417.34 g m-2 at Jusamdo, respectively and biomass of intertidal zone was greater than that of subtidal zone at Jusamdo sites. Seaweeds distributed vertically from mid intertidal to 5 m of subtidal zone at Woejodo and from high intertidal to 10m of subtidal zone at Jusamdo. Seaweed biomass and species number were maximal at lower intertidal zone (27 species, 365.43 g m-2) of Woejodo and at mid intertidal zone (26 species, 684.18 g m-2) of Jusamdo. Seasonal biomass varied from 136.73g m-2 in autumn to 249.33 g m-2 in winter at Woejodo and from 353.37 g m-2 in autumn to 482.07 g m-2 in summer at Jusamdo. Dominant species was Sargassum thunbergii showing highest annual biomass (Woejodo, 94.68 g m-2 ; Jusamdo, 228.59 g m-2) among all seaweeds and finding at various shore levels during the study period. Subdominant species were Corallina pilulifera and Gracilaria textorii at Woejodo, and were Sargassum fusiformis and Chondria crassicaulis at Jusamdo. Thus, we can conclude that Jusamdo shore is better place than Woejodo based on seaweed biomass and vertical distribution, and S. thunbergii is the representative species of the two islands.