Floristics and Biogeography of Marine Benthic Algae on the Coast of Kamchatka and Commander Islands

Algae > Volume 16(1); 2001 > Article

Algae 2001;16(1): 119-128.

Nina G. Klochkova, Tatiana A. Klochkova

Kamchatka Institute of Fishery and Oceanography, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

ABSTRACT

The floristics and biogeography of algal flora of the western coast of the Bering Sea, the western and eastern Kamchatka, and the Commander Islands were investigated. The list of algae analysed in this study includes 271 species. The flora was characterised by a diverse taxonomic and phytogeographic composition. There were rich monotypic genera and families, and species distributed only in the Pacific Ocean (60% species, of which 38% occur only on the Asian coast). 35 species were endemics of the Russian Far East. The peculiarities of spatial variation of species composition and the phytogeographic structure of flora were investigated by comparing 13 floristic areas. On north of the Bering Sea, Arctic-temperate and wide-temperate species were most abundant. Flora of the Commander Islands contained numerous cold-temperate amphipacific species. Species of Ceramiales were most abundant. Their number decreased from the Commander Islands to the north of Kamchatka. On western kamchatka, most abundant were species with Arctic-Atlanthic distribution. The role of the commander Islands and Southeast Kamchatka in process of the species migration and formation of floras, as well as and the phenomenon of biological asymetry are discussed.

Key words: Bering Sea, biodiversity, Biogeography, Commander Islands, floristics, Kamchatka, marine algae, Sea of Okhotsk