| BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY ELEMENTS |
The marine area
is characteristic of the biological richness of the
Maltese island. In fact, Posidonia oceanica, dominates
large area of the seabed. Extensive meadows occur on
sand as well as on bedrock. From north to south, meadows
are practically continious as they transmute from one
ecomophosis to another.
In this area, nine different Posidonia meadow ecomorphoses
were recorded. These support a large variety of organisms
including some of conseration interest such as the bivalve
Pina nobilis as well as others of economic importance
such as the cephalopod Octopus vulgaris; a considerablenumber
of demersal fish species alsooccur. Although not as
wedespread as Posidonia oceanica , the lesser Neptune
Grass Cymodocea nodosa, is nonethless very abundant
in the study area. This seagrass forms a major association
within the biocoenosis of fine sands. Because its morphology,
Cymodocea nodosa is such less conspicuous than Posidonia
oceanica . excluding bedrockcolonised by Posidonia oceanica,
hard substrata are almost completly dominated by photophlic
algae. Phaeophytes are by far the most abundant macroscopic
algal goup. Cytoseira spinosavar. Tenuior is the commonest
and the most conspicuous species.
In hard substrata occuring in deeper waters, sciaphilic
assemblage characterise these habitat and Flabellia
petiolata, Halimeda tuna and Peyssonnelia sp.are the
most abundant and dominant. Other rhodophytes such as
Jania sp,a number of calcareous algae (mostly corallines),
and low-growing hydroids may at times be very abundant
as well, but are not conspicuous as they are overshadowed
by the larger and more noticeable species. |
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