Rhodolith/Maërl Bed Coexisting with a Macrocystis pyrifera Kelp Forest in the Beagle Channel (Onashaga, Argentina)
Gonzalo Bravo, Julieta Kaminsky, María Bagur, María Paula Raffo, Natalia Aga Milovic, Candelaria Belén Piemonte, Cecilia Paula Alonso, Emiliano H. Ocampo, Sofía Risso, Valentina Meyer, Fernando Gaspar DellatorreRhodolith/maërl beds are biogenic habitats formed by free-living coralline algae, recognized for their ecological importance and global distribution. Along the Argentine coastline, the published literature lacks visual field documentation of rhodolith/maërl beds, despite historical reports of rhodolith-forming species. Here, we present visual records of a rhodolith/maërl bed in the Argentine Beagle Channel, associated with an extensive Macrocystis pyrifera kelp forest (~150 m from shore). Two perpendicular swimming transects allowed confirmation of a minimum spatial extent exceeding 40 × 40 m (>1600 m2). Underwater imagery reveals continuous rhodolith cover over unconsolidated sediments, highlighting a knowledge gap in the regional distribution of these habitats in southern South America.