16 The Northern Adriatic Sea
I. M. MUNDA
16.1 Introduction
The Adriatic Sea is a remote branch of the Mediterranean which provides
conditions for the development of a heterogeneous flora and vegetation.
Due to adverse paleoclimatic effects, tropical, Indo-Pacific, Atlantic,
cosmopolitan and endemic species occur side by side, the last being
especially well represented in the Adriatic Sea (Feldmann 1958).
The Mediterranean as a whole is a gigantic inland, sea, connected to
the Atlantic through the Strait of Gibralter. During geological history, the
Mediterranean and its flora and vegetation underwent several stages,
from being part of the circumglobal tropical Thetys sea, to a complete
closure of the strait of Gibraltar in the Pliocene, when it became an
inland lake, to subsequent intrusions of Atlantic water and biota
(Gierloff-Emden 1980). During glacial periods, the Mediterranean lost its
tropical character. Several Atlantic species as well as glacial relics are still
present in colder regions, such as the northern Adriatic.
Besides being an integral part of the Mediterranean flora and
vegetation, the Adriatic flora exhibits several particular features and also
reflects the recent ecological conditions in this area, such as reduced
tidal movements, relatively high water temperatures and salinities with a
wide range of seasonal fluctuations (Buljan and Zore-Armanda 1979) and
high transparency. The Adriatic vegetation is dominated by fucoids, viz.
the endemic Fucus virsoides in the eulittoral (Zavodnik 1967; Munda
1972), and by Cystoseira and Sargassum species in the sublittoral
(Ercegovic 1952; Span 1972). Red algae are numerically prevalent in the
Adriatic flora and they increase from the northern towards the southern
Adriatic (Span 1980; Span and Antolic 1983).
Centre for Scientific Research, Slovene Academy of Science and Arts, 6100 Ljubljana,
Slovenia
Ecological Studies, VoL 123
Schramm/Nienhuis (eds) Marine Benthic Vegetation
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1996
I. M. MUNDA
16.1 Introduction
The Adriatic Sea is a remote branch of the Mediterranean which provides
conditions for the development of a heterogeneous flora and vegetation.
Due to adverse paleoclimatic effects, tropical, Indo-Pacific, Atlantic,
cosmopolitan and endemic species occur side by side, the last being
especially well represented in the Adriatic Sea (Feldmann 1958).
The Mediterranean as a whole is a gigantic inland, sea, connected to
the Atlantic through the Strait of Gibralter. During geological history, the
Mediterranean and its flora and vegetation underwent several stages,
from being part of the circumglobal tropical Thetys sea, to a complete
closure of the strait of Gibraltar in the Pliocene, when it became an
inland lake, to subsequent intrusions of Atlantic water and biota
(Gierloff-Emden 1980). During glacial periods, the Mediterranean lost its
tropical character. Several Atlantic species as well as glacial relics are still
present in colder regions, such as the northern Adriatic.
Besides being an integral part of the Mediterranean flora and
vegetation, the Adriatic flora exhibits several particular features and also
reflects the recent ecological conditions in this area, such as reduced
tidal movements, relatively high water temperatures and salinities with a
wide range of seasonal fluctuations (Buljan and Zore-Armanda 1979) and
high transparency. The Adriatic vegetation is dominated by fucoids, viz.
the endemic Fucus virsoides in the eulittoral (Zavodnik 1967; Munda
1972), and by Cystoseira and Sargassum species in the sublittoral
(Ercegovic 1952; Span 1972). Red algae are numerically prevalent in the
Adriatic flora and they increase from the northern towards the southern
Adriatic (Span 1980; Span and Antolic 1983).
Centre for Scientific Research, Slovene Academy of Science and Arts, 6100 Ljubljana,
Slovenia
Ecological Studies, VoL 123
Schramm/Nienhuis (eds) Marine Benthic Vegetation
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1996