Evaluation of the influence of inclination of substrate panels on seasonal changes in a macrophytobenthic community

Five panels (81 X 38 X 4 cm each) were placed with a 90, 67, 45, 22, and 0 inclination on one of the lower cubes of a module of an artificial reef submerged in the Gulf of Trieste (North Adriatic Sea) to evaluate the effects of slopes on macrophytobenthic colonization. On each panel, three areas of 20 X 20 cm, defined by means of a reticulum, were sampled monthly over a period of 1 year, starting about 9 months after deployment. Independently of the slopes, the algal community was characterized by a dominance of turf-forming species. At the end of the investigation, colonization did not seem to have reached maturity because some of the most representative, particularly larger, species of the reef hosting the panels were still missing. Size and surface texture of the panels may have restricted settlement. Inclination of the panels did not have a significant effect on algal vegetation; the physical parameters appeared to be more important. (C) 2002 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.