Benthonic Algae — SCAGEL 
503 
MONTHS 
JFMAMJJAS OND 
Fig. 12. Monthly salinities at Pulteney Point, Malcolm Island, for the period 1954—55. 
Coast of Canada, in Japan, and in the United 
States, there has resulted a considerable body 
of scientific knowledge but it is still far from 
adequate for the ecologist, particularly for one 
interested in coastal dynamics. Circulation pat- 
terns, temperature, salinity, oxygen, and in some 
areas phosphate, silicate, and nitrate distribu- 
tions are fairly well known in a broad and gen- 
eral sense, but at the present time these ocean- 
ographic data are known in sufficient detail for 
few restricted areas. Knowledge of the distribu- 
tion of other chemical constituents and to a 
large extent even of the plankton composition, 
distribution, and activity is almost completely 
lacking. Much more information is needed in 
order to tackle many problems relating to spe- 
cific distributions and to set up field and lab- 
oratory studies to test hypotheses. 
It is already apparent that much can be done 
experimentally both in the field and in the 
laboratory with the benthonic algae. Many of the 
problems encountered by the ecologist dealing 
with large marine algae present unique culture 
problems both in the field as well as in the lab- 
oratory. Some studies of growth and reproduc- 
tion, particularly of some of the larger Lami- 
nariales, have been done in this region both in 
the field (Scagel, 1948) as well as in the lab- 
oratory. Although the size of manyaotf the cold- 
water marine algae adds special problems, at 
least some of the stages can be carried out to 
the point where transplant experiments can be 
made from the laboratory into the sea for fur- 
ther study. Transplant experiments of natural 
populations of juvenile stages, at least of these 
larger marine algae, even in the case of Ma- 
cro cystis, are quite feasible. 
The successful use of the experimental ap- 
proach in the laboratory is primarily dependent 
on having facilities for maintaining tempera- 
ture and light control, although the size of 
plants may again present certain special prob- 
lems. Cultures of Laminariales have been main- 
tained in controlled-environment tanks at the 
