THE BARENTS SEA 



109 



The main bulk of the macrophyte growth of the sublittoral upper level 

 (0-5 to 15 m) of the Murman coast and the shores of Novaya Zemlya is 

 formed by two species of Laminaria, L. saccharina and L. digitata with their 

 numerous forms. A/aria esculenta and still more Chorda filum and Des- 

 marestia aculeata are considerably inferior to them in numbers. Among the 



Fig. 43. Qualitative and quantitative distribution of 

 macrophytes on the silty-sand littoral of one of the 

 bays of Kola Guba (Kireeva and Shchapova). The 

 height of the columns and the associated numerals 

 represent the biomass in g/m 2 . 



red algae the most common here are Ptilota plumosa, Odonthalia dentata, 

 Delesseria sinuosa and Phyllophora brodiaei, usually fastened to the Lami- 

 naria stalks and rhizoids. 



The uppermost horizon of the sublittoral (1 to 2 m) is occupied by a belt of 

 Chorda filum with an average biomass of 1 to 3 kg/m 3 . The average Laminaria 

 biomass is about 10 kg/m 3 , and it sometimes attains 27 kg/m 3 . The admixture 

 of red algae is noticeable from the depth of 5 m ; however, on average it never 





