Changes in subtidal assemblages in a scenario of warming: Proliferations of ephemeral benthic algae in the Canary Islands (eastern Atlantic Ocean)

Long-term herbarium data reveal the decline of a temperate-water algae at its southern range

“…The phenology of these populations were studied in the past (Reyes and Sans on, 1999), and as a result of extensive floristic and taxonomic studies carried out by local and foreign researchers in these islands since the 1960s, an important stock of herbarium sheets of F. guiryi (most identified as Fucus spiralis) are deposited at TFC and BCM herbaria (Sans on et al, 2013). Data from herbaria have been traditionally used for taxonomic purposes; however, Wernberg et al (2011) exhibited its importance as historical data sets to assess recent changes in temperate macroalgal assemblages.…”

Climatic and environmental factors influencing occurrence and distribution of macroalgae — a fjord gradient revisited

“…Lima et al 2007, Dìez et al 2012, Tanaka et al 2012, Duarte et al 2013 or community compositions (e.g. Husa et al 2008, Dìez et al 2012, Sangil et al 2012) have been reported. Sea temperature and salinity are usually the main physical factors which determine regional and local distributions of macroalgae in euphotic coastal waters.…”

Ciguatera, an Emerging Human Poisoning in Europe

“…This could be explained because the Canary Islands are located in the transition zone between cold waters of African coastal upwelling and warmer ocean waters from the West, and together with the geographical distribution of the islands, aligned East-West, allows the existence of a strong thermal gradient of about 2 °C in surface seawater temperature (SST) from western warmer waters to eastern colder ones. Thus, tropical species are dominant to the western islands and temperate species to the eastern [29,30]. But the rise in the SST has been linked with the weakening of the Cold Canary Current and the African upwelling, and is strongly affecting species distributions.…”

“…But the rise in the SST has been linked with the weakening of the Cold Canary Current and the African upwelling, and is strongly affecting species distributions. Fish populations are suffering a tropicalization process, and many of the new species of algae and invertebrates reported from the archipelago are species with well-known tropical affinities [30]. For this, in the western islands should not slow down the ciguatera control.…”

“…The arrival and expansion of non-native species or the increase of native ones can alter species interactions and cause drastic variations in assemblage diversity [30]. A dusky grouper over 20 kg that had been poisoning a family that was caught off the coast of Tenerife, was referred to our laboratory by Public Health Authorities.…”