Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
(a)
(b)
Fig. 10.
Images of sea grasses and
their calcareous epiphytes. (a) A lush
meadow of
Posidonia
sp. in 3m w.d. at
Chinaman Creek in which many blades
are coated with encrusting coralline
algae (white) (image = 60 cm wide);
(b)
Posidonia
sp. blades washed up on
the beach illustrating white coralline
algal encrustations and white branch-
ing coralline algae (image = 20 cm
wide), (c)
Posidonia
sp. blade heavily
encrusted with coralline algae (scale in
mm), (d)
Posidonia
sp. blade entwined
with branching coralline algae (scale
in mm), (e)
Posidonia
sp. blade heav-
ily encrusted with coralline algae and
a few spirorbids (top) (scale in mm),
(f) stem of
Amphibolis
sp. encrusted
with coralline algae (scale in mm),
(g) blades of
Amphibolis
encrusted
with coralline algae ( scale in mm),
(h)
Amphibolis
stems encrusted with
bryozoans; 1 =
Iodictum phoeni-
cium
(fenestrate), 2 =
Orthoscuticella
ventricosa
(articulated zooidal), 3 =
Cellaria
sp. (articulated branching),
4 =
Celleporaria cristata
(foliose).
(c)
(f)
(d)
(e)
1
(h)
4
2
3
Table 4.
Average abundance of CaCO
3
g kg
1
seagrass from each coralline algae type on each seagrass species/components.
Average
s.e. (number of occurrences).
Type 3 -
articulated, erect
thin branching
Type 4 - articulate,
erect, narrow
branching
Type 5 - non-
articulated erect,
simple branching
Type 1 - thick
encrusting sheet
Type 2 -
encrusting sheet
Seagrass
A. antarctica
blade
0.6
67.0
31.7
0.4
0
A. antarctica
stem
0.0
18.8
36.0
42.6
5.6
A. griffi thii
blade
3.4
88.8
26.5
1.5
0.0
A. griffi thii
stem
9.6
25.9
0.1
12.0
0.0
P. angustifolia
0.6
42.1
21.6
0.2
0.0
P. australis
0.0
59.5
15.2
24.0
0.0
P. sinuosa
0.8
19.5
15.5
3.8
0.0
Average
3.4
1.3 (12)
42.7
5.5 (62)
21.9
4.1 (37)
14.5
5.9 (37)
6.0
0.9 (3)
only on
Posidonia
blades.
Quinqueloculina bra-
dyana
and
Q. subpolygona
are found only on
Amphibolis
blades.
contribute signifi cantly to epiphyte produc-
tion, but are useful as environmental indicators.
Xestolibris
was the most common genera.
Ostracods
Annelids
These arthropods are found on 48 samples (1/30)
of the blades and stems analysed. They do not
Spirorbids occur on 741 (~1/2) of the blades
and stems whereas serpulids are found on only
