Abstract
Facies of the coralligenous biocoenose in two stations of the Western and Eastern Mediterranean Basins. — The benthic comunities of circalittoral region have been studied by diving technique in the Western and Eastern Mediterranean Basins. The facies of the coralligenous biocoenose which show a larger difference between the two Basins are: 1) the communities of non calcareous algae in biotopes with constant direction depth streams and 2) the precoralligenous facies. These communities in the Aegean Sea are characterized by Sargassum linifolium, Cystoseira corniculata v. laxior, Caulerpa prolifera, Udotea petiolata, Dasycladus clavaeformis and by sponge Calix nicaeensis; in the Thyrrenean Sea by Laminaria rodriguezii, Cystoseira spinosa, Neurocaulon grandiflorum, Fauchea repens, Halymenia dichotoma, Callymenia reniformis and by the sponge Axinella cannabina. The environmental factors which determine these different facies in the circalittoral region of the two Mediterranean Basins are chiefly the temperature, the light intensity and the sedimentary rhythm.