Ecological status assessment of eastern coastal waters of Qeshm ‎Island (Persian Gulf, Iran) based on macroalgal assemblages‎

Aims: Monitoring variations in macroalgal assemblages is a crucial issue for the preservation and management program of coastal waters. This study was conducted to determine the seasonal and spatial distribution patterns, and composition of macroalgal communities along the eastern coasts of Qeshm Island, Iran. Materials & methods: Seasonal sampling was conducted at three different sites of different tidal levels on the eastern coasts of Qeshm Island. Random samples of macroalgae were collected at three stations, seasonally. The species were identified and the dry weight of each species was used to calculate the macroalgae abundance. The Species richness and the Diversity indices were calculated to evaluate the distribution pattern and composition of the macroalgal community. Findings: As a result, 51 species (4 Chlorophyta, 21 Phaeophyta, and 26 Rhodophyta) were identified. The seasonal and spatial dominant species were found to be Padina sp. and Hypnea sp., and a distribution pattern was seen to have increasing macroalgal biomass from the upper to lower intertidal level. The sampling sites shared more than 50% similarity of their macroalgal species, indicating a relatively homogeneous distribution. The highest (18.1±4.3 gr drywt m-2) and lowest (8.27±2.1 gr drywt m-2) mean of total seaweed biomass were recorded in winter and summer, respectively. Conclusion: The assemblage composition of macroalgae significantly differs between hot and cold seasons, and there was no substantial compositional variation of seaweeds communities along the tidal gradient. The macroalgal distribution was largely homogeneous with no significant difference among the research areas at sampling seasons.

Ecological status assessment of eastern coastal waters of Qeshm ‎Island (Persian Gulf, Iran) based on macroalgal assemblages‎ Keywords:

Biodiversity , Qeshm Island , Seaweeds , Tidal zone‎