TY - JOUR
T1 - Distribution and species composition of red algal communities in the northern Baltic Sea
AU - Rinne, Henna
AU - Kostamo, Kirsi
N1 - Funding Information:
We are grateful to people and organizations who have gathered marine biodiversity data during the Finnish Inventory Program for the Marine Environment VELMU and during mapping projects of Åbo Akademi University in Åland. VELMU is financed by the Ministry of the Environment and coordinated by the Finnish Environment Institute. Main part of the data have been collected by Parks & Wildlife Finland. H. Rinne was financed by the Baltic Sea Conservation Foundation and European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (project ÅlandSeaMap).
Funding Information:
We are grateful to people and organizations who have gathered marine biodiversity data during the Finnish Inventory Program for the Marine Environment VELMU and during mapping projects of Åbo Akademi University in Åland. VELMU is financed by the Ministry of the Environment and coordinated by the Finnish Environment Institute. Main part of the data have been collected by Parks & Wildlife Finland. H. Rinne was financed by the Baltic Sea Conservation Foundation and European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (project ÅlandSeaMap).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors
PY - 2022/5/31
Y1 - 2022/5/31
N2 - Red algae are an important component of the Baltic Sea rocky shores. Within the Finnish marine area, in the northern Baltic Sea, red algal communities (on habitat level) are currently listed as endangered, due to eutrophication effects and potential future decrease in salinity. At species level, Rhodomela confervoides and Ceramium virgatum are red-listed. Despite their common use in different management contexts within the Baltic Sea, e.g. their depth distribution used as an indicator of the status of the sea areas, we know little about the commonness and more detailed distribution patterns of the red algal species. This limits the reliability of algae-based assessments. The aim of this study was to describe the general occurrence patterns, abundance and prevalence of erect perennial and annual red algae, based on extensive scuba-diving inventories within the Finnish marine area. Furthermore, the most representative areas for the red algal communities were identified. The results show high variation in depth distribution and prevalence across environmental gradients for many red algal species, e.g. for the relatively common perennial species Furcellaria lumbricalis and Vertebrata fucoides. In comparison to older data, reductions in depth penetration and occurrence were identified especially for deep-occurring species such as Rhodomela confervoides. With improved knowledge on the occurrence patterns of red algal species in relation to environmental variation, our results enable more reliable use of red algae as indicators of the status of the sea areas. By identifying areas where red algal communities are currently most representative, the results also allow better targeting of management efforts aiming to improve their status, such as areal protection measures or reducing nutrient input from point sources.
AB - Red algae are an important component of the Baltic Sea rocky shores. Within the Finnish marine area, in the northern Baltic Sea, red algal communities (on habitat level) are currently listed as endangered, due to eutrophication effects and potential future decrease in salinity. At species level, Rhodomela confervoides and Ceramium virgatum are red-listed. Despite their common use in different management contexts within the Baltic Sea, e.g. their depth distribution used as an indicator of the status of the sea areas, we know little about the commonness and more detailed distribution patterns of the red algal species. This limits the reliability of algae-based assessments. The aim of this study was to describe the general occurrence patterns, abundance and prevalence of erect perennial and annual red algae, based on extensive scuba-diving inventories within the Finnish marine area. Furthermore, the most representative areas for the red algal communities were identified. The results show high variation in depth distribution and prevalence across environmental gradients for many red algal species, e.g. for the relatively common perennial species Furcellaria lumbricalis and Vertebrata fucoides. In comparison to older data, reductions in depth penetration and occurrence were identified especially for deep-occurring species such as Rhodomela confervoides. With improved knowledge on the occurrence patterns of red algal species in relation to environmental variation, our results enable more reliable use of red algae as indicators of the status of the sea areas. By identifying areas where red algal communities are currently most representative, the results also allow better targeting of management efforts aiming to improve their status, such as areal protection measures or reducing nutrient input from point sources.
KW - Macroalgal monitoring
KW - Marine biodiversity
KW - Phytobenthos
KW - Polysiphonia
KW - Rhodophyta
KW - Rocky shores
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85126302176&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ecss.2022.107806
DO - 10.1016/j.ecss.2022.107806
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85126302176
SN - 0272-7714
VL - 269
JO - Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
JF - Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
M1 - 107806
ER -