Morpho-taxonomy and economic importance of macrobenthic algae in Bo. Talao-Talao, Lucena City, with notes on the ecological parameters of the study site

Macrobenthic algae from the intertidal zone of Bo. Talao-Talao, Lucena City, were collected, preserved, identified and classified based on their gross morphology. Of the thirty-one (31) algal species, six (6) belong to Class Chlorophyceae, twelve (12) belong to Class Phaeophyceae, and thirteen (13) belong to Class Rhodophyceae. Twenty-two (22) of the thirty-one species collected are of economic importance to man. Water temperature ranged from 29-32 C pH ranged from 7.5-7.8 wave action was moderately strong and the type of substrate was predominantly sandy-rocky. Salinity was from 29-33 ppt while nitrate (0.157-0.181 mg/L) and phosphate content (0.039-0.045 mg/L) of water samples were low. Sargassum crassifolium was the most abundant among the different algal species collected with a value of 17.78. Turbinaria ornata was the most dominant throughout the entire collection with a value of 37.21