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An ecological survey was carried out at bimonthly intervals for 2 years from 2000 to 2002 in the intertidal granite shore at Chengshan Cape, on the northwest coast of the Yellow Sea. Significant differences in macroalgal composition were evident in different seasonal assemblages. The highest species richness was found from April to August, and the lowest in October. In all the seasonal assemblages surveyed, Rhodophyta showed the highest species richness, Phaeophyta ranked second and Chlorophyta last. Macroalgal biomass peaked in August (246 gm-2). From December to February cold-water species, such asEnteromorpha intestinalis, Porphyra spp., Gelidium amansii, Halymennia sinensis, Laminaria japonica and Polysiphonia urceolata, dominated the assemblage.In June warm-temperate and subtropical species became dominant. Species diversity peaked in April and then declined throughout the year until December. The seasonal assemblages surveyed could be grouped into an Enteromorpha-Corallina-Ulva dominated winter-spring association, a Sargassum-Ulva-Corallina dominated summer association and an Ulva-Gymnogongrus-Sargassum dominated autumn association.Regression analysis showed that changes in seawater temperature were the main influence on macroalgal biomass. Assemblage structure is influenced by substrate heterogeneity resulting from wave action at Chengshan Cape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]