SHALLOW SUBTIDAL BENTHIC MARINE MACROALGAE FROM THE MAGELLAN SUBANTARCTIC ECOREGION, CHILE

Abstract

 The area of channels and fjords belonging to the Magellan subantarctic has a high diversity of macroalgae, in relation to the temperate areas of South America. Geomorphological changes, the geographical position in a high latitude together with the climate change in this region create a series of coast marine habitats with a significant environmental heterogeneity, where a diverse benthic marine flora take place, which are not still known, that has evolved in an adaptive way to these changes. This research was developed under the 16 fjords CIMAR program in 2010, aboard the scientific research vessel Abate Molina, under the “Marine Benthic macroalgae of the Region of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica “project. This paper gives information about a total of 57 species of macroalgae in the region, with representatives of the Rhodophyta (51%), Ochrophyta (Class Phaeophyceae) (37%) and Divisions Chlorophyta (12%). Takes into account the floristic affinities of the sectors studied and deals with the flora of the Antarctic continent, and also incorporates 7 novel macroalgal references to the subantarctic Magellan ecoregion.