On the Biogeography of the Benthic Algae of the Mediterranean

Abstract

Examination of the current literature shows that floristic knowledge of the benthic algal vegetation of the Mediterranean is still fragmentary. Nevertheless, since the second world war, researches of Mediterranean phycologists have substantially increased our knowledge in this field. Unfortunately, some parts of the Mediterranean are still unknown floristically (e.g. the Calabrian and Apulian coasts of Italy) or have not been sufficiently studied, such as the Aegean Sea. One may note that floristic comparisons assume that species given the same name by different authors are actually the same taxon. Another important consideration is that the intensity of collecting and the availability of suitable substrate differs throughout the region and that, in most groups, our understanding of the ecology, genetics, life-histories and distribution of the component species is quite inadequate.