Comparaison des epiphytes des feuilles de Magnoliophytes marines Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile, Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Asch et Halophila stipulacea (Forssk.) Asch autour des ilots de Rass Kaboudia (Chebba, Est de la Tunisie)

Abstract

The aim of this survey is to study the variation of leaf epiphytes of 3 species of marine seagrasses Posidonia oceanica, Cymodocea nodosa and Halophila stipulacea in the 3 islets of Rass Kaboudia in the region of Chebba (Eastern Tunisia).
Sampling was conducted during the month of February 2017 around the three islands. Posidonia, Cymodocea and Halophila leaves were collected and epiphytic macroalgae were examined under a magnifying glass and / or microscope to estimate their relative percentages on the leaves. Data were tested by multivariate statistical methods to compare the percentage of epiphyte between host plants.
The results show a significant diversity of the epiphytes of the leaves of Posidonia and Cymodocea compared to Halophila epiphytes. The leaf epiphyte coverage was significantly variable depending on the host plant: green, red and brown algae were more abundant on Posidonia leaves whereas cyanobacteria were more abundant on Cymodocea leaves. The observed differences will be related to the properties of the leaves (shape, length, width, texture and longevity) but also to the life cycle of the host plant and the complexity of meadows.