Interspecific relationships between Palmaria palmata and three Fucus species at the Murman Coast

The mutual influence of the dominant macroalgae species inhabiting the intertidal zone of the Murman Coast was studied. Particularly, the proposed negative effect of Palmaria palmata on the growth of Fucus algae was tested. The interspecific interactions of the Fucus vesiculosus, F. distichus, F. serratus, and P. palmata were studied experimentally. The species were cultivated pairwise in the laboratory. A field experiment with species removal was performed in the intertidal zone of the Zelenetskaya Bay, the Barents Sea. The growth rate, algae biomass, and the content of chlorophyll pigments was measured. Fucus species affected positively the growth of P. palmata. No effect of the other species on F. vesiculosus was recorded under the experimental conditions. Palmaria palmata affected negatively the growth of F. serratus; its presence led to an increase in the pigment content in F. serratus and F. distichus.