Author(s)

Rubén Cabrera^1*, Jhoana Díaz-Larrea², Schery Umanzor³, Laura Georgina Núñez García²

¹Gabinete de Arqueologia, Oficina del Historiador de la Ciudad, Habana Vieja, Cuba.
²Departamento de Hidrobiología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Mexico City, Mexico.
³Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Stamford, CT, USA.

A study on the spatial and seasonal variations of the associate macroalgae and epiphytes of Thalassia testudinum was carried out in Bahía de Nuevitas. Sixty-two species were identified: 3 Cyanophyta, 25 Chlorophyta, 8 Phaeophyceae, 23 Rhodophyta and 3 Magnoliophyta, with two new records for Cuba and 43 for the area. The differences in the specific composition of the macroalgae communities are determined by a space component related to the type of affectation in each area. The morpho-functional groups of macroalgae in the station with more nutrient influence were mainly foliaceous and filamentous. In the stations far from the city, the predominant morpho-types were the leathery and articulate calcareous indicators of lower nitrification levels. The abundance and diversity of macroalgae in the site affected by fisheries were lower due to the damage by bottom trawls. Seasonal variations were found in the relative abundance of the species, not in the diversity, which makes evident seasonal changes in the structure of the seaweeds, where some species replace others in the community.

Cuba, Epiphytes, Thalassia, Morpho-Functional Groups, Seaweeds

Cabrera, R. , Díaz-Larrea, J. , Umanzor, S. and Núñez García, L. (2019) Using a Macroalgal Functional Form Approach to Assess the Level of Disturbance of Seagrass Meadows in Bahía of Nuevitas, Cuba (2000-2002). American Journal of Plant Sciences, 10, 2020-2033. doi: 10.4236/ajps.2019.1011142.