Sargassum that also can mean all seaweed species washed up on shore. "Sargassum" species are found throughout tropical areas of the world and are often the most obvious macrophyte in near-shore areas where "Sargassum" beds often occur near coral reefs. The plants grow subtidally and attach to coral, rocks, or shells in moderately exposed or sheltered rocky or pebble areas. These tropical populations often undergo seasonal cycles of growth and decay in concert with seasonal changes in sea temperature. In tropical "Sargassum" species that are often preferentially consumed by herbivorous fishes and echinoids, a relatively low level of phenolics and tannins
Plant cover Plant cover The abundances of plant species are often measured by plant cover, which is the relative area covered by different plant species in a small plot. Plant cover is not biased by the size and distributions of individuals, and is an important and often measured characteristic of the composition of plant communities. Plant cover data may be used to classify the studied plant community into a vegetation type, to test different ecological hypothesis on plant abundance, and in gradient studies, where the effects of different environmental gradients on the abundance of specific plant species are investigated. The most common