Observations and spread of the invasive algae Caulerpa cylindracea on the Strait of Gibraltar.
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1
Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain, Departamento de Fisiología y Zoología, Spain
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2
Área de Investigación Biológica I+D+i del Acuario de Sevilla, Spain
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3
University Mohammed V, Faculty of Sciences, Morocco
Since 1920, the invasive green algae Caulerpa cylindracea had been expanding West through practically all Mediterranean coasts. It was observed initially on Lebanon (1991) and Egypt (1950), and afterwards on Syria, Turkey, Libya (1991), Greece (1994), Sicily (1993), Italy (1994), Sardinia (1997) and the Gulf of Marseille in France (1997). The first observation of this taxa on the Mediterranean coasts of the Iberian Peninsula dates back to 1999 in Castellón. Afterwards, the species spread to Alicante 2001 and Murcia 2005. From that, the alien algae has initiated a quick regional expansion through western Alboran Sea. On Ceuta’s Northern Bay (Strait of Gibraltar area), C.cylindracea was recorded in 2007, also with a significant increase in biomass in 2008. C. cylindracea meadows grow by rizhomes, with the highest density of fronds on summer. Sexual reproduction and vegetative spreading by fragmentation or specialized liberation of frond portions (that may act as specialized propagules) are the commonest ways of regional colonization. This wide range of reproduction possibilities allows the aggressive spreading kinetics of C.cylindracea. On Mediterranean coasts, this species forms monospecific meadows over benthic photophilic and sciaphilic algae communities. It also grows by thick layers over soft substrata, getting to reach 15cm width and causing anoxia by substrata isolation. On the last three years C.cylindracea has been observed on diverse locations through the Strait of Gibraltar in both southern and northern margins. Regarding to southern margin: from Ceuta’s Southern Bay to the El Marsa Bay, on the nearby location of Taoutiet el Bioute (Morocco) Regarding to northern margin: the invasive species has been recently recorded within MPA Parque Natural del Estrecho in Tarifa and Guadalmesí, and also in Paloma Point (first record in Atlantic Iberian coasts). These observations confirm the suggested westward spreading of the species on the Mediterranean Sea and cover a wide environmental range of mid-littoral and subtidal levels (0-60m depth) on both soft and hard substrata, occasionally forming a dense tapestry over substrata or growing over erect species as gorgonians.
Keywords:
Caulerpa cylindracea,
Strait of Gibraltar,
Spreading kinetics,
alien species,
biological invasions
Conference:
XIX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies, Porto, Portugal, 5 Sep - 9 Sep, 2016.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
2. GLOBAL CHANGES, INVASIVE SPECIES AND CONSERVATION
Citation:
Sempere-Valverde
J,
Pellón
JG,
Bazairi
H,
Ostalé-Valriberas
E,
Espinosa Torre
F and
García-Gómez
J
(2016). Observations and spread of the invasive algae Caulerpa cylindracea on the Strait of Gibraltar..
Front. Mar. Sci.
Conference Abstract:
XIX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies.
doi: 10.3389/conf.FMARS.2016.05.00186
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Received:
29 Apr 2016;
Published Online:
03 Sep 2016.
*
Correspondence:
Mr. Juan Sempere-Valverde, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain, Departamento de Fisiología y Zoología, Sevilla, 41012, Spain, juansempere91@gmail.com