Species composition and seasonal periodicity of the marine benthic algae of Galveston Island, Texas.

Sampling of benthic algae from selected sites on Galveston Island was carried out at regular intervals between June 1972 and August 1974 to determine the species composition and seasonal periodicity of the communities. Nineteen genera and twenty eight species were recorded; 8 species of Chlorophyta, 5 Phaeophyta, 14 Rhodophyta and 1 Xanthophyta. The ocean-front benthic algal community of the island is described as a Cladophora-Bryocladia-Ceramium community in the summer which shifts to an Enteromorpha-Bangia-Gelidium community in the winter months. The bay stations are described as an Enteromorpha-Ectocarpus community in the winter months and are essentially barren of benthic algae in the summer. Results of the study regarding species composition are compared to similar Gulf coast studies.