Print Report
CEGL006344 Laminaria agardhii Tidal Algal Nonvascular Vegetation
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Common Southern Kelp Tidal Algal Nonvascular Vegetation
Colloquial Name: New England Kelp Bed
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association comprises kelp beds of rocky coasts of New England dominated by red and brown algae and occurring in the sublittoral zone along rocky coastline habitat. Laminaria agardhii, Alaria spp., and Chondrus crispus are dominant and conspicuous. Other common associates can include Porphyra laciniata, Ceramium rubrum, and Hildenbrandtia prototypus. Additional species of red, green, and brown algae can occur in areas with greater light penetration. There is seasonal and geographic variability in species composition between areas north versus south of Cape Cod, which forms a major boundary between colder waters to the north fed by arctic currents and warmer waters to the south fed by the Gulf Stream.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association occurs below ~Ascophyllum nodosum - Fucus vesiculosus Tidal Algal Nonvascular Vegetation (CEGL006341)$$ in the sublittoral zone.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Although red algae are dominant and have the greatest diversity of species, brown algae, especially Laminaria agardhii, are the most conspicuous species in this association. Other common associates can include Alaria spp., Porphyra laciniata, Chondrus crispus, Ceramium rubrum, and Hildenbrandtia prototypus. In the upper sublittoral zone, a greater variety of species can occur in areas with greater light penetration; species include green algae Bryopsis plumosa, Cladophora spp., brown algae Ectocarpus spp., Pylaiella littoralis, Phyllitis fascia, and red algae Nemalion multifidum, Callithamnion spp., and Polysiphonia spp. Seasonal variation in composition occurs, with greater diversity occurring in summer months in New England. Species of cold water tend to occur in greater abundance north of Cape Cod. These species also occur in warmer waters with lower abundance and may tend to occur earlier in the season than they do in colder water.
Dynamics: Species diversity fluctuates seasonally based on water temperature affiliations of individual species; species that prefer warmer water tend to occur in greater abundance south of Cape Cod. Although these species are found in colder waters, they tend to occur later in the season than they do in warmer waters. Likewise, species that prefer colder water occur in greater abundance north of Cape Cod, but also occur in warmer waters to the south earlier in the season (Coleman and Mathieson 1975).
Environmental Description: This association occurs in the lower sublittoral zone on rocky substrate. Upper portions of this zone can be exposed at very low spring tides. This association spans geographically across Cape Cod, which forms a major boundary between colder waters to the north fed by arctic currents and warmer waters to the south fed by the Gulf Stream.
Geographic Range: This association occurs along rocky coasts of New England and maritime Canada.
Nations: CA?,US
States/Provinces: CT, MA, ME, NB?, NH, NS?, NY, QC?, RI
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683186
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 5 Aquatic Vegetation Class | C05 | 5 |
| Subclass | 5.A Saltwater Aquatic Vegetation Subclass | S09 | 5.A |
| Formation | 5.A.2 Benthic Macroalgae Saltwater Vegetation Formation | F053 | 5.A.2 |
| Division | 5.A.2.Wb Temperate Intertidal Shore Division | D047 | 5.A.2.Wb |
| Macrogroup | 5.A.2.Wb.1 Temperate Atlantic Intertidal Shore Macrogroup | M104 | 5.A.2.Wb.1 |
| Group | 5.A.2.Wb.1.a Yellow Tang - Sea-lettuce Intertidal Algal Flat Group | G387 | 5.A.2.Wb.1.a |
| Alliance | A4133 North Atlantic Tidal Rocky Shore Alliance | A4133 | 5.A.2.Wb.1.a |
| Association | CEGL006344 Common Southern Kelp Tidal Algal Nonvascular Vegetation | CEGL006344 | 5.A.2.Wb.1.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Laminaria agardhii community (Metzler and Barrett 2006)
? Bare bottom community (Godfrey et al. 1978)
? Lower sublittoral (Nichols 1920)
? Bare bottom community (Godfrey et al. 1978)
? Lower sublittoral (Nichols 1920)
- Berrill, M., and D. Berrill. 1981. A Sierra Club naturalists'' guide, the North Atlantic Coast: Cape Cod to Newfoundland. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco, CA.
- CDPNQ [Centre de données sur le patrimoine naturel du Québec]. No date. Unpublished data. Centre de données sur le patrimoine naturel du Québec, Québec.
- Coleman, D. C., and A. C. Mathieson. 1975. Investigations of New England marine algae. VII: Seasonal occurrence and reproduction of marine algae near Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Rhodora 77:76-104.
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
- Edinger, G. J., D. J. Evans, S. Gebauer, T. G. Howard, D. M. Hunt, and A. M. Olivero, editors. 2014a. Ecological communities of New York state. Second edition. A revised and expanded edition of Carol Reschke''s ecological communities of New York state. New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, NY.
- Enser, R. W., and J. A. Lundgren. 2006. Natural communities of Rhode Island. A joint project of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Natural Heritage Program and The Nature Conservancy of Rhode Island. Rhode Island Natural History Survey, Kingston. 40 pp. [www.rinhs.org]
- Gawler, S. C. 2002. Natural landscapes of Maine: A guide to vegetated natural communities and ecosystems. Maine Natural Areas Program, Department of Conservation, Augusta, ME.
- Godfrey, P. J., M. Benedict, and M. Soukup. 1978. A guide to the ecology of Cape Cod National Seashore (Mary 1978 draft). National Park Service Cooperative Research Unit, Institute for Man and Environment, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
- Lubinski, S., K. Hop, and S. Gawler. 2003. Vegetation Mapping Program: Acadia National Park, Maine. Report produced by U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, and Maine Natural Areas Program in conjunction with M. Story (NPS Vegetation Mapping Coordinator) NPS, Natural Resources Information Division, Inventory and Monitoring Program, and K. Brown (USGS Vegetation Mapping Coordinator), USGS, Center for Biological Informatics and NatureServe. [http://biology.usgs.gov/npsveg/ftp/vegmapping/acad/reports/acadrpt.pdf]
- Metzler, K., and J. Barrett. 2006. The vegetation of Connecticut: A preliminary classification. State Geological and Natural History Survey, Report of Investigations No. 12. Connecticut Natural Diversity Database, Hartford, CT.
- Nichols, G. E. 1920. The vegetation of Connecticut: III. The associations of depositing areas along the seacoast. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 47:511-548.
- Reschke, C. 1990. Ecological communities of New York State. New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Latham, NY. 96 pp.
- Sperduto, D. D., and W. F. Nichols. 2004. Natural communities of New Hampshire: A guide and classification. New Hampshire Natural Heritage Bureau, DRED Division of Forests and Lands, Concord. 242 pp.
- Swain, P. C., and J. B. Kearsley. 2014. Classification of the natural communities of Massachusetts. Version 2.0. Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Westborough, MA. [http://www.mass.gov/nhesp/http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/natural-heritage/natural-communities/classification-of-natural-communities.html]