﻿Nichols: 
  The 
  vegetation 
  of 
  Connecticut 
  103 
  

  

  branching, 
  which 
  sometimes 
  grows 
  in 
  water 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  hundred 
  

   feet 
  deep 
  (in 
  the 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  region) 
  and 
  which 
  Is 
  a 
  characteristic 
  

   component 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  sublittoral 
  flora, 
  probably 
  nowhere 
  de- 
  

   velops 
  more 
  luxuriantly 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  sublittoral, 
  where 
  it 
  

   commonly 
  occurs 
  In 
  great 
  profusion 
  on 
  exposed 
  rocks 
  just 
  below 
  

   low 
  tide 
  mark. 
  Another 
  form 
  which 
  is 
  prominent 
  in 
  this 
  zone, 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  In 
  the 
  lower 
  sublittoral, 
  Is 
  Ceramium 
  rtibmm, 
  a 
  profusely 
  

   branched, 
  bright 
  red, 
  filamentous 
  species. 
  This 
  plant 
  probably 
  

  

  w 
  

  

  has 
  a 
  more 
  ubiquitous 
  distribution 
  along 
  the 
  Connecticut 
  coast 
  

   than 
  any 
  other 
  red 
  alga. 
  Still 
  another 
  red 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  levels 
  

   which 
  thrives 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  sublittoral 
  is 
  Hildenhrandtia 
  Proto- 
  

   typus, 
  a 
  species 
  which 
  forms 
  conspicuous 
  reddish 
  incrustations 
  

   over 
  rock 
  surfaces. 
  In 
  fact, 
  there 
  are 
  probably 
  few 
  algae 
  of 
  the 
  

   deeper 
  waters 
  which, 
  under 
  favorable 
  conditions, 
  do 
  not 
  range 
  

   upward 
  to 
  low 
  tide 
  level 
  at 
  certain 
  seasons 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  and 
  some 
  

   of 
  them, 
  e.g., 
  Ceramium 
  and 
  Hildenhrandtia, 
  may 
  extend 
  upward 
  

   locally 
  well 
  into 
  the 
  littoral 
  region. 
  

  

  But 
  the 
  outstanding 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  vegetation 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  sub- 
  

   littoral 
  is 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  certain 
  seaweeds 
  which 
  do 
  not 
  occur 
  

   in 
  deep 
  water, 
  or 
  which 
  develop 
  most 
  prolifically 
  near 
  the 
  surface. 
  

   Especially 
  characteristic 
  are 
  certain 
  green 
  algae, 
  viz., 
  Bryopsis 
  

   plumosa 
  and 
  various 
  species 
  of 
  Cladophora; 
  certain 
  browns, 
  e.g., 
  

   Edocarpus 
  spp., 
  Pylaiella 
  UUoralis, 
  and 
  Fhyllitis 
  fascia; 
  and 
  certain 
  

   reds, 
  e.g., 
  Nemalion 
  multifidum 
  and 
  various 
  species 
  of 
  Callithammon 
  

   and 
  Polysiphonia. 
  Indeed, 
  it 
  seems 
  not 
  unlikely 
  that 
  the 
  scarcity 
  

   near 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  algae 
  of 
  deeper 
  waters 
  is 
  due 
  

   in 
  large 
  measure 
  to 
  their 
  inability 
  to 
  compete 
  successfully 
  with 
  

   these 
  other 
  species 
  which 
  thrive 
  so 
  luxuriantly 
  in 
  this 
  region. 
  

   Taken 
  as 
  a 
  whole, 
  the 
  plant 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  sublittoral 
  

   comprises 
  an 
  intimate 
  admixture 
  of 
  green, 
  brown, 
  and 
  red 
  algae, 
  

   but 
  with 
  the 
  reds 
  numerically 
  the 
  strongest. 
  Locally 
  and 
  at 
  

   different 
  seasons 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  various 
  associations 
  and 
  groups 
  of 
  

   associations 
  can 
  be 
  distinguished, 
  and. 
  In 
  particular, 
  various 
  of 
  

   the 
  species 
  already 
  mentioned 
  as 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  

   sublittoral 
  commonly 
  form 
  conspicuous 
  masses 
  of 
  vegetation. 
  A 
  

   list 
  of 
  algae 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  sublittoral 
  in 
  Long 
  Island 
  

   Sound 
  is 
  given 
  below. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  restricted 
  to 
  these 
  

   upper 
  levels, 
  particularly 
  among 
  the 
  greens 
  and 
  browns; 
  but 
  

  

  