Phycosociology of the Estuarine Eulittoral of Smith Island Virginia: A Quantitative Approach to Seasonal Periodicity ...

• Main Author: Willis, William M.
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Old Dominion University 1973
• Subjects: Smith Island
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.25777/ew9f-a363; https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/oeas_etds/307/

Seasonal periodicity of benthic algae of the estuarine eulittoral of Smith Island, Virginia, (37°07’55” N, 75°55’ W), has been investigated on a qualitative and quantitative basis. Forty-three taxa of benthic eucaryiotic algae were found to be present; of these, twenty-one were quantitatively significant at least once during the course of the study. Five species represent additions to the Virginia flora, and, at the same time, also represent southern extensions of the known U.S. east coast range. The range of three other species has been extended, though they are not new to Virginia. Review of the literature suggests two models of periodicity which may apply to the United States and Canadian Atlantic coasts. One is a “two season model” typified by Hoyt's (1920) interpretation of the Beaufort, North Carolina, flora. The other is a "continual change model” typified by the interpretation of the Digby Neck, Nova Scotia, flora by Edelstein et al., (1970). Analysis of the Smith Island data, and that from published ...