Seasonal and spatial variation in species diversity, abundance, and element accumulation capacities of macroalgae in mangrove forests of Zhanjiang, China

摘要

The objective of this study was to investigate whether there was distinctive seasonal and zonal variation in the species diversity, biomass, and element accumulation capacities of macroalgae in two major intertidal mangrove stand types (Avicennia marina assemblage andSonneratia apetala assemblage) in the Zhanjiang region of southern China. Over a year, 31 species in 15 genera were identified in both mangrove assem-blages, of which the dominant species wereCladophoropsis zollingeriand Enteromorpha clathrat.Macroal-gal species were significantly most abundant in spring (p<0.05), followed by summer, winter, and autumn. Variation in the zonal distribution of macroalgal species was conspicuous in both intertidal mangrove as-semblages, with the greatest abundance in the middle zone, and the least in the front zone. Patterns in the seasonal and zonal variation in macroalgal biomass in theS. apetalaassemblage were similar to those of macroalgal species diversity in both mangrove assemblages. The seasonal patterns in tissue concentrations of 15 analyzed elements were not uniform among the macroalgaeC. zollingeri,E. clathrata, andGracilaria salicornia in theA. marina assemblage. All three species exhibited variation in their responses to ambient concentrations of different elements, implying their differential ability to absorb and selectively accumulate certain elements.