Current status of subtidal macrophyte communities in Ussuriysky and Amursky bays, Sea of Japan
The subtidal macrophyte communities in selected localities of Amursky Bay (a cove south of Cape Krasny) and Ussuriysky Bay (a cove south of Cape Zeleny, Sobol Bay, and at the southern extremity of Engelm Island) were studied by the quadrant sampling method in June 2009. In total, 12 phytocenoses were identified at the four sites. The vegetation at Cape Zeleny was represented by three phytocenoses: Zostera marina + Sargassum pallidum, Punctaria plantaginea, and Costaria costata + Desmarestia ligulata. Four phytocenoses occurred in Sobol Bay: Phyllospadix iwatensis, Sargassum pallidum + Costaria costata, Polysiphonia morrowii + Palmaria stenogona, and Desmarestia viridis + P. morrowii. Three phytocenoses were found at the southern coast of Engelm Island: Chordaria flagelliformis + Neorhodomela larix, Desmarestia viridis, and Costaria costata. Two phytocenoses were described from the cove south of Cape Krasny: Zostera marina + Sargassum miyabei, and Saccharina cichorioides. Detailed descriptions of the phytocenoses and biomass data for dominant and auxiliary species are given. The obtained data on the composition of the macrophytobenthic communities can be useful for coastal marine ecosystem monitoring programs in Peter the Great Bay.