108 



BIOLOGY OF THE SEAS OF THE U.S.S.R. 

 Table 40 



Average biomass, kg/m 2 



The distribution of macrophytes on the sands and mud of the Murman 

 littoral is quite different. One of the small bights of the Kola Inlet, 220 m 

 long and 100 to 120 m wide (Fig. 43), may serve as an example. The figures on 

 the map present the algal biomass in g/m 2 . In the outer part of the tidal range 

 the brown algae are preponderant, Dictyosiphon fimiculaceus, D. mesogloja, 

 Stictyosiphon torilis and a few species of Pilavella and Fucus. Nearer the shore 

 the green algae are preponderant, Monostroma fuscum, Cladophora fracta, 

 CI. gracilis and different species of Enteromorpha. The biomass decreases 

 sharply with the distance from the shore; moreover it is considerably in- 

 ferior to the algal biomass on craggy and rocky floors. At the inner part of 

 the beach at low tide it is usually no more than 500 g/m 2 , while at the outer 

 one it reaches 3 kg/m 2 . The whole biomass of the vegetative cover of this 

 littoral is about 4-5 tons and on the average about 200 g/m 2 . 



M. Kireeva and T. Shchapova (1937) have noted an interesting relation- 

 ship between the algal growth and some animal organisms inhabiting the 

 same section of the littoral. Sections with a large algal biomass have a small 

 mussel biomass and vice versa {Table 41). 



Fig. 42. A belt of brown algae Ascophyllum and Fucus 



on the rock littoral of Murman coast (Gurjanova, Zachs 



and Ushakov). 



