FREDERICQ, S.1*, T.O. CHO1, B. GAVIO1, C.F. GURGEL1, E. HICKERSON2, S.M. LIN1, J. LOPEZ-BAUTISTA1, N. PHILLIPS1, M. VIGUERIE1, and B. WYSOR1. 1Dept. of Biology, P.O. Box 42451, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette LA 70504-2451, USA; 2Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, Bryan, TX 77803, USA. - A survey of the offshore marine macroalgae from the northwestern Gulf of Mexico Hard Bank communities.
The upper northwestern Gulf basin is characterized by a relatively
shallow but well-developed continental shelf with an extensive system
of mid-and outer shelf hard banks formed on unique tectonically
created salt diapirs of varying origin and composition. Observations
done by our laboratory while participating in monitoring cruises to
the National Marine Sanctuaries of the E and W Banks of the Flower
Gardens (TX), Stetson Banks (TX), Sonnier Banks (LA) and dredging
cruises off Louisiana reveal a surprisingly different floristic
composition among the sites. Several range extensions, new macroalgal
records for the Gulf of Mexico, and new species imply a much more
complex algal community than previously documented. Our ongoing
project includes the development of a modern taxonomic, phylogenetic
and morphological database essential to informed management for
preservation of biological diversity. It also provides a framework of
seasonal algal composition against which long-term trends and
anomalies in algal distribution and health of the Gulf of Mexico can
be assessed at future dates.
Key words: floristics, Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana, marine sanctuary, seaweeds, Texas