Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/55195

KEYWORDS : flora;Iturup (Etorofu);Kunashir (Kunashiri);marine benthic macroalgae;Shikotan

In a field survey of marine benthic macroalgal species around Iturup, Kunashir (conducted in 2012) and Shikotan (conducted in 2010) islands, 77 species were identified. Although this number is the half of number found 70 years earlier by Nagai (1940, 1941), biodiversity loss is not suggested. Rather, the survey methods may have resulted in the underrepresentation of previously identified species. Several species described in Nagai's studies were found in this survey. Using the collected material, the taxonomic classification of Cymathaere fibrosa and Laminaria sikotanensis may be reexamined with molecular methods. The dominant species in the kelp forests differed between the islands. Due to the lack of collection points, it is unknown whether the assemblage change between Iturup and Kunashir is gradual. Considering the composition of algal species, it is suggested that Shikotan is under the strong influence of the Oyashio Cold Current, while the northwestern coasts of Iturup and Kunashir are under the influence of the Soya Warm Current.