Macroalgal biodiversity of the Indian River Lagoon: updating the puzzle
Hanisak, M.D. (2021). Macroalgal biodiversity of the Indian River Lagoon: updating the puzzle, in: Hanisak, M.D. et al. Proceedings of the Indian River Lagoon Symposium 2020. Florida Scientist, Spec. Issue 84(2-3): pp. 92-118
In: Hanisak, M.D.; Sweat, L.H.; Walters, L.J. (Ed.) (2021). Proceedings of the Indian River Lagoon Symposium 2020. Florida Scientist, Spec. Issue 84(2-3). Florida Atlantic Universit/Indian River Lagoon Observatory: Boca Raton. , more
In: Florida Scientist. Florida Academy of Science: Gainsville. ISSN 0098-4590, more
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Document type: Conference paper
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| Keywords |
Biodiversity
Seaweed
Gracilaria tikvahiae McLachlan, 1979 [WoRMS]
ASW, USA, Florida, Indian River Lagoon [Marine Regions]
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| Abstract |
Given the Indian River Lagoon (IRL)’s abundance of macroalgae and its rapidly changing environments, the establishment of a macroalgal biodiversity inventory and baseline is essential.Knowledge of IRL macroalgal biodiversity has grown considerably since 1994, when the initial IRL Biodiversity Conference was held, largely due to the 2008 publication of Submersed Plants of theIndian River Lagoon by Littler et al. 2008. A current list of macroalgal taxa is provided to encompass the taxonomic changes that have occurred since 2008. The number of macroalgal taxa has increased from 142 in 1994 to 207 in 2020 (an increase of 45.8%); rhodophytes increased from 74 to 110 (48.6%), chlorophytes from 45 to 61 (35.6%), and phaeophyceans from 23 to 36 (56.5%). Spatial and temporal trends in the IRL macroalgal community were analyzed from a data set collected contemporaneously (1994 – 1996; n ¼ 1,042 samples) with the Biodiversity Conference. The macroalgal community was primarily composed of unattached, ‘‘drift’’ algae, with the rhodophyte Gracilaria tikvahiae the most abundant species (59% of biomass). Macroalgal abundance increased,with evidence of shifts in species composition, from north to south and no consistent temporal patterns. This study provides baseline data to determine long-term changes in community structure of IRL macroalgae and a call to address important research questions. |
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