Marine Biodiversity – Adriatic Flora

In our previous blogs, we wrote about the fauna of the Adriatic Sea (topics: mammals, shells, fish and crustaceans). If you haven’t read it yet, you will definitely enjoy exploring the underwater  with us. In this blog, we complement the fauna with the flora of the Adriatic Sea.

As we know the Adriatic Sea shares most of its characteristics with the Mediterranean Sea, but the karst coast gives it many specific features.

It is characterized by the moderate productivity of organic matter, that is, the photosynthetic activity of algae (and less sea -grass), which is the basis of all other organisms. This is due to the low amount of nutrients in the water, especially phosphorus and nitrogen. This productivity is not the same in all parts of the Adriatic, rising from south to north and from the open sea towards the coast.

The seabed fauna (benthic fauna) of the Adriatic Sea is mostly similar to the Mediterranean fauna, but contains some of its own endemics. According to available data from various sources, 2597 species of algae have been recorded in the Adriatic so far (152 of which are endemic).

• Rudolph Riedl in his work on Fauna and Flora of the Adriatic states that the final number of species in the Adriatic could be between 12 and 15 thousand
• The Central Adriatic is especially abundant in endemic plant species, with 535 identified species of green, brown and red algae
• Four out of five Mediterranean seagrass species are found in the Adriatic Sea. The most common species are Cymodocea nodosa and Zostera noltii, while Zostera marina and Posidonia oceanica are comparatively rare
•  Posidonia oceanica( sea grass ) – is considered the most important and well-studied seagrass species of the Mediterranean Sea…known as ecological engineers, which means they can change the conditions around them to suit their own needs… pollution, anchoring, trawling are just some of the reasons why sea grass is disappearing
• Acetabularia acetabulum – this alga adheres to the substrate with rhizoids (root-like processes), and these are the only part of the alga present in the winter. The thallus consists of a single cell, and in the spring a slender stem develops from the holdfast, growing vertically to a length of about 5 cm (2 in)
• Red algae – they live  attached  to the rocky surface, but also to shells
• Caulerpa algae – they call it “killer algae” because it is very aggressive and destroys other vegetation

STRICTLY PROTECTED

Cymodocea nodosa – little Neptune grass

Posidonia oceanica – commonly known as Neptune grass or Mediterranean tapeweed

Zostera marina – common eelgrass and seawrack

Zostera noltii – dwarf eelgrass

YOU CAN ALSO HELP:

• not to anchor above the meadows of sea grass ! Throwing and pulling anchors causes irreparable damage to seagrass meadows. Seaweed meadows are large producers of oxygen in the sea, and they are also called the lungs of the sea
• Reducing local stress on seagrass will support its ability to stand up to the impacts of larger-scale, longer-term stress, like climate change
• Report that someone is pulling or deliberately damaging the protected and severely protected species of algae on phone number 112

Literature:

Handbook for the Protection of the Sea and Recognition of the Living World of the Adriatic II. expanded edition 2016 Publisher: Association for Nature, Environment and Sustainable Development Sun.