A DISTRIBUTIONAL ANALYSIS OF BENTHIC MARINE ALGAE COLLECTED IN SOUTH CENTRAL ALASKA DURING THE CHIA STUDIES OF EVOS

• Published in: Journal of Phycology
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2001
• Subjects: Kodiak; Alaska
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1529-8817.2001.jpy37303-52.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1529-8817.2001.jpy37303-52.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1529-8817.2001.jpy37303-52.x

Hansen, G. I. 1 & Stekoll, M. S. 2 1 Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, OR 97365 USA; 2 Juneau Center for the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska, Juneau, AK 99801 USA During the University of Alaska's Coastal Habitat Injury Assessment (CHIA) study of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, intensive investigations were carried out on the intertidal algal communities of Prince William Sound, the Kenai Peninsula, the Kodiak Islands, and the Alaska Peninsula. As a part of these investigations, thorough voucher collections were made of the benthic marine algae present in more than 100 transect areas used for the study. The 7,300 collected specimens were pressed, identified to species, curated, and cataloged. For this study, we have utilized these data as well as information on the habitat types and species life histories to prepare regional checklists and distributional analyses of the species discovered. Environmental conditions in south central Alaska vary regionally as well as seasonally, and the narrow vs. broad ranges of these species appear to reflect closely their ability to tolerate these diverse conditions. The algal biodiversity, distribution, and habitat data made available through this study provide crucially needed background information for future environmental impact studies and for restoration and conservation efforts in Alaska.