Gastropod diversity associated with the non-indigenous macroalga Sargassum muticum (Yendo) Fensholt and the indigenous Sargassum flavifolium Kützing in the South Portuguese Atlantic coast
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1
CIIMAR Laboratório de biodiversidade costeira, Portugal
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2
Estación de Bioloxía Mariña da Graña Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain
The introduction of non-indigenous macroalgae causes many ecological impacts altering native marine communities and the functioning of ecosystems (Smith, in press). Sargassum muticum is native from South-East Asia but, this species has been introduced in Europe in the early 1970s being nowadays a widespread non-indigenous species in the Atlantic coast. The more similar native species in Portuguese coasts is Sargassum flavifolium, that share the same habitat in the south of Portugal. Therefore, we considered S. flavifolium as the best native model species to explore the effect of the non indigenous S. muticum on epifauna diversity.
The aim of this study was to compare the diversity of gastropods associated with these two similar macroalgae, the native species S. flavifolium and the non-indigenous S. muticum, in the South Portugal Atlantic coast. For this aim, we sampled four intertidal shores. A total of 11 individuals of each macroalgal species were collected and preserved in formalin (4%). Each sample was washed in a sieve of 0.5 mm mesh size and gastropods were determined to species level.
In S. muticum we found 116 individuals and identified 14 species. In S. flavifolium we found 2 617 individuals and identified 19 species. For S. muticum, the number of species estimated by Chao 1 (20 species) and Chao 2 (16,5 species) were lower than those estimated for S. flavifolium: Chao 1 (21 species) and Chao 2 (25,25 species). ANOVA analyses showed significant differences on the number of individuals and species between macroalgae. Moreover, PERMANOVA analysis showed significant differences in the structure of gastropod assemblages between macroalgal species. PERMDISP analysis indicated significant differences on the sample dispersion between the tow species studied. Finally, SIMPER analysis found an average dissimilarity of 97% between the two macroalgae. The main responsible for this dissimilarity were 5 species: Eatonina fulgida (Adams J., 1797), Tricolia pullus (Linnaeus, 1758), Barleeia unifasciata (Montagu, 1803), Rissoa parva (da Costa, 1778) and Skeneopsis planorbis (O. Fabricius, 1780).
To conclude, our results showed that gastropod diversity associated with S. flavifolium, the indigenous species, was higher than that associated with the non-indigenous species S. muticum. In concordance with previous studies (Veiga et al., 2014), our findings suggest that invasive macroalgae induce changes in the associated epifauna.
References
Smith, J.R. (In press). The putative impacts of the non-native seaweed Sargassum muticum on native communities in tidepools of Southern California and investigation into the feasibility of local eradication. Mar. Ecol. doi: 10.1111/maec.12335.
Veiga, P., Rubal, M., and Sousa-Pinto, I. (2014). Structural complexity of macroalgae influences epifaunal assemblages associated with native and invasive species. Mar. Environ. Res. 101, 115-123. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2014.09.007.
Keywords:
Gastropods,
Non-indigenous macroalgae,
indigenous macroalgae,
diversity,
South Atlantic of Portugal
Conference:
XIX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies, Porto, Portugal, 5 Sep - 9 Sep, 2016.
Presentation Type:
Oral Presentation
Topic:
2. GLOBAL CHANGES, INVASIVE SPECIES AND CONSERVATION
Citation:
Torres
AN,
Rubal
M,
Sousa Pinto
I,
Besteiro
C and
Veiga
P
(2016). Gastropod diversity associated with the non-indigenous macroalga Sargassum muticum (Yendo) Fensholt and the indigenous Sargassum flavifolium Kützing in the South Portuguese Atlantic coast.
Front. Mar. Sci.
Conference Abstract:
XIX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies.
doi: 10.3389/conf.FMARS.2016.05.00018
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Received:
29 Apr 2016;
Published Online:
02 Sep 2016.
*
Correspondence:
MD. Ana Catarina N Torres, CIIMAR Laboratório de biodiversidade costeira, Porto, Portugal, a_catarina_torres@hotmail.com