Excluding endozotc algae, 9 species of Chlorophyta, 13 PhaeopKyta 

 and 12 ELodophyta were obtained on the reef. 



Plain "Vegetation 



Bordering reefs in most places in Lameshiir Bay tkere is a bare 

 expanse 2 to 10 or more meters wide. The most dramatic delineation 

 seen was at the edge of a bed of sea grass and algae along a shallow 

 reef (3 to 7 m) at Salt Pond, south of the habitat, observed on 

 June 24, but the pattern held for all reef areas seen in the Lameshur 

 Bay area. 



Mathieson, Fralick, Burns, and Flahive (this report) assembled 

 excellent detailed quantitative data during TEKTITE Mission 4-50 that 

 documents the readily apparent change in vegetation seaward from the 

 reef near the TEKTITE habitat location. They show plant abundance 

 and composition with depth profiles along two transect lines extending 

 180 m away from the reef. 



West of the bare border along the face of the reef there is a gradual 

 development of plant covering starting with species of Udotea , 

 Dictyota , and sometimes masses of filamentous blue-green algae 

 (Fig. 5). Seaward, abundance and diversity of species increases 

 in an transition area extending to about 35 m (Fig. 6). From 35 to 

 150 m away from the reef the algal cover resembles from a human 

 standpoint, a densely vegetated plain, but to the small resident 

 fishes and invertebrates, this region must be likened to a forest 

 approximately 15 cm high, with some tall Avrainvillea , Codiimi , and 

 Halimeda plants attaining 30 cm (Fig. 3). Here a total of 150 species 

 of plants were obtained during the study: 52 Chlorophyta, 24 Phaeophyta, 

 70 Rhodophyta, and 4 Spennatophyta. Most conspicuous are nimierous kinds 

 of siphonous green algae, including species of Avrainvillea , Penicillus , 

 Gaulerpa , Udotea and Anadyomen e, and the spermatophyte, Syringodltmi 

 filif orme . Among the browns, the flat, crisp blades of Lobophora 

 variegata are most evident and abundant, and species of Dictyota are 

 common. Red algae are represented by the greatest nvraiber of species, 

 but are the least conspicuous because nearly all present are minute. 

 Only Acathophora , Cottoniella , Dasya , Digenia , Gelidium , Galaxura , 

 Gracilaria , Grif fithsia , Hypnea , Hypoglossum , Jania, Lauren cia , 

 Liagora , Spyridia , Wrangelia , and Wrightiella are readily apparent 

 macros copically . 



Again there is an area of transition, beginning between 60 and 100 m, 

 with a gradual thinning of plant cover and drop in species number. 

 At the far edge of the algal plain, scattered plants of Halimeda , 

 Avrainvillea , Gaulerpa , Udotea . and the sea grass, Syringodium , may 

 be found, with an assortment of epiphytes (Figs. 7, 8, 9) . In the 

 distant, peripheral area approximately 180 m from the reef, 9 species 

 of Chlorophyta, 2 Phaeophyta and 12 Rhodophyta were obtained. 



VI-137 



