The physiological state of intertidal brown seaweeds Fucus serratus Linnaeus, 1753 and Fucus distichus Linnaeus, 1767 cultivated on a biofiltration system in the Barents Sea

The physiological parameters (growth rate, specific area, photosynthesis rate, metabolic activity of cells, contents of photosynthetic pigments, dry matter, and soluble phlorotannins) of the intertidal brown seaweeds Fucus serratus and F. distichus cultivated in the Barents Sea for oil biofiltration purposes were investigated. The possibility of their existence submerged to a 5 m depth is shown. The duration of the survival of the plants in the absence of a tide cycle depended on the degree of fouling and the presence of phytophages. For long-term growth of seaweeds on vertical ropes, fucoids need to be subjected to periodic desiccation.