Syntaxonomy of oligosaprobiont macroalgae communities of the Black Sea sublittoral (North Caucasus shelf, Russia)

Abstract

One class (Sphacelarietea cirrosae), one order (Sphacelarietalia cirrosae), two alliances (Phyllophoro crispae-Codion vermilarae, Gongolarion barbatae) and five associations (Phyllophoro crispae-Codietum vermilarae, Nereietum filiformisae, Rhodochorton purpureum-Apoglossetum ruscifolii, Gongolario barbatae-Sphacelarietum cirrosae, Ericarietum bosphoricae) of macroalgal communities within the North Caucasian shelf of the Black Sea oligosaprobic sublittoral vegetation are described for the first time, using the Braun-Blanquet approach. Detrended correspondence analysis corroborated the results of the syntaxonomic analysis and revealed two main factors influencing the floristic composition of the investigated communities: depth with associated light level and intensity of water movement. The diagnoses of described syntaxa are given. A comparison of Mediterranean and Black Sea syntaxa is made, and the specificity of the vegetation of the North Caucasian shelf of the Black Sea is shown.

Keywords:

• Syntaxa
• prodromus
• macroalgae
• DCA analysis
• oligosaprobiont
• sublittoral zone
• Black Sea
• North Caucasus shelf

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the group of divers who supported the field work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).