Chapter I Intro & Objectives - SPREP

PHOENIX ISLANDS PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT PLAN
Chapter III. Background, 4. Marine Resources
Draft 1 March 2007
4. MARINE RESOURCES
A. MARINE FLORA
CHAPTER III.
BACKGROUND
Dahl (1980) presented a matrix of marine biomes. The Phoenix Islands were lumped with the
Line and Northern Cook Islands. Marine biomes that were present included: algal bed,
animals in sediments, algal reef, windward atoll reef, leeward atoll reef, lagoon reef, rocky
coast, beach, saline lagoon, open lagoon, brackish lagoon, offshore terrace, offshore slope,
abyssal plain, seamount, and inshore circulation cell.
Bleakley (1995) reported that in the Phoenix Islands, there were no mangroves or seagrasses.
South et al (2001) reported on marine algae collected from Abariringa (Kanton), Enderbury,
Manra (Sydney), McKean, Nikumaroro (Gardner), Orona (Hull), and Rawaki (Phoenix) in
2000 by the New England Aquarium Expedition (see also Stone et al 2001). A total of 69
taxa were identified. These are presented in Table III-4.1 below. Previous lists of algae were
available and would bring the species list to 107, but South et al (2001) noted that there may
be doubtful identification of algae in them.
Table III-4.1. List of algae species for the Phoenix Islands
(source: South et al 2001)
Species Abariringa Enderbury Manra McKean Nikumaroro Orona Rawaki
(Kanton)
(Sydney)
(Gardner) (Hull) (Phoenix)
Blennothrix lyngbyacea X
Lyngbya confervoides X x
Lyngbya majuscule x X
Lyngbya semiplena X X
Lyngbya sp. x
Oscillatoria sp. X
Schizothrix sp. X x
Chroodactylon ornatum X
Galaxaura filamentosa X x
Gelidiella acerosa X
Asparagopsis taxiformis X
Peyssonnelia conchicola X
Hydrolithon sp. X
Jania micrarthrodia X x
Lithothamnion proliferum X
Hypnea pannosa x X
Gelidiopsis intricata x X
Aglaothamnion cordatum X
Anotrichium tenue X
Antithamnionella elegans X
Ceramium affine X
Ceramium flaccidum x X
Ceramium sp. aff. C.
marshallense
X
Corallophila huysmansii x x
Species Abariringa Enderbury Manra McKean Nikumaroro Orona Rawaki
(Kanton)
(Sydney)
(Gardner) (Hull) (Phoenix)
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