Seaweeds of the Southeastern United States

by Schneider, Craig W.; Searles, Richard B.; Child, Julia S.

• ISBN13: 9780822311010
• ISBN10: 0822311011
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1991-07-01
• Publisher: Duke Univ Pr

Summary

Seaweeds of the Southeastern United Statesoffers a definitive manual for the identification of the seaweeds that inhabit the deep offshore waters as well as the near shoreline and shallow sounds from North Carolina to Florida. The volume provides a natural key to the class, order, family, and genera with detailed descriptions, 560 illustrations, and an artificial key listing simple characteristics for quick identification of the green, brown, and red benthic marine algae (or "bottom growers") that inhabit the region. The southeastern Atlantic coast is home to 334 species of seaweed flora. The greatest diversity occurs along the North Carolina coast between Cape Lookout and Cape Fear. With the exception of a few additional species south of Cape Fear, there is not a marked change in the flora until the more tropical waters and seaweeds of southern Florida. The barrier island system of the region and the enclosed shallow water sounds extend the miles of shoreline available for study. This book, the product of a twenty-year collaboration, is the first comprehensive guide to appear in over seventy years and includes the addition of nearly one hundred species to the region, including twenty-five described by the authors.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Acknowledgments	xi
Introduction	xiii
History of Phycology in the Region	1	(6)
The Geological Environment	7	(2)
The Hydrographic Environment	9	(2)
Currents, Tides, and Waves	9	(1)
Light	9	(1)
Temperature	10	(1)
Water Chemistry	10	(1)
Biogeography and Ecology	11	(4)
Characteristics and Limits of the Region	11	(1)
Inshore and Offshore Floras	12	(1)
Endemic and Disjunct Species	12	(1)
Seasonality	12	(1)
Physiological Ecology	13	(1)
Biological Interactions	13	(2)
Collection, Preservation, and Microscopic Examination of Seaweed Specimens	15	(4)
Collection	15	(1)
Preservation	16	(1)
Microscopy	16	(3)
Taxonomic Treatment	19	(12)
List of Species	19	(12)
Chlorophyta	31	(70)
Chrysophyta	101	(8)
Phaeophyta	109	(66)
Rhodophyta	175	(308)
Artificial Keys to the Genera	483	(15)
Glossary	498	(11)
Collection Sites Mentioned in the Text	509	(1)
Species Distribution Tables	510	(1)
Literature Cited	511	(30)
Index	541