Contents Biography vii Introduction ix 1.Coral Reefs 1.1 Coral Reef Ecosystems 1 1.2 Architecture of Coral Reefs 1 1.3 Status of Hainan lsland Coral Reefs 2 2.Marine Plants of Coral Reefs 2.1 0assification 5 2.2 Jdentifying the Characteristics of Representatives From Different Phyla 5 2.3 Morphology of Seaweeds 9 2.4 Morphofunctional Forms of AJgae 10 2.5 Reproduction 12 2.6 Life Forms of Benthic Marine Plants 13 2.7 Main Algal Communities on Coral Reefs 14 2.8 Distribution of AJgae on Coral Reef and Factors Regulating Their Expansion 18 2.9 Role of Marine Plants in the Coral Reef Ecosystem 21 2.10 Jnfluence of Natural Catastrophes and Human Activities on the Marine Flora and Fauna of Coral Reefs 25 2.11 Useful Marine Plants and Their Utilization 28 2.12 The Use of Marine Plants in China 38 3.Common Seaweed Flora of Coral Reefs in Hainan lSland 3.1 Species Composition of the Marine Benthic Flora 41 3.2 Historical Changes in the Marine Flora 42 3.2.1 Necessary Conditions or Binding Rules of Algal Sampling Allowing to Compare Collections 42 3.2.2 Algal Species Diversity and Composition in Collections of the 1930s-70s and 1990/1992 70 3.2.3 Recent (2008-1 5) Seaweed Flora of HarnanlSIand 71 3.2.4 Decadal Changes in the Marine Flora of Hainan lsland Between 1990-92 and 2008-15 73 4.Common Marine Algae of Hainan lsIand (Guidebook) 4.1 PhylumChlorophyta 76 4.2 Phylum Ochrophyta 121 4.3 Phylum Rhodophyta 149 References 229 Index 239