Checklist of benthic marine algae and cyanobacteria of northern Portugal

Abstract

The northern Portuguese coast is a biogeographic transition zone where many macroalgal species have their distribution limits; it is thus a particularly interesting region for investigating species distribution shifts. An updated and complete list of species for this region is not available in spite of its baseline importance for comparative studies with past and present data. Based on new records, literature references, and herbarium data, we provide an updated checklist of the benthic marine algae of the northern Portuguese coast. This checklist includes 346 species: 26 Cyanobacteria, 200 Rhodophyta, 70 Ochrophyta, and 50 Chlorophyta. From these, 21 species are new records for the Portuguese coast (Lyngbya aestuarii, Lyngbya semiplena, Microcoleus acutirostris, Myxosarcina gloeocapsoides, Aiolocolax pulchella, Antithamnion densum, Antithamnion villosum, Antithamnionella spirographidis, Dasya sessilis, Furcellaria lumbricalis, Neosiphonia harveyi, Porphyrostromium boryanum, Chorda filum, Dictyopteris ambigua, Sphacelaria rigidula, Undaria pinnatifida, Vaucheria coronata, Vaucheria velutina, Ulothrix implexa, Ulva scandinavica, and Umbraulva olivascens) and 33 were recorded for the first time in the north of Portugal. Alien species have increased in number and extended their distribution range over the last 10 years in the study area. Distribution shifts of northern cold water species with southern distribution limit in the north of Portugal were not consistent among species.

Distribution patterns of the peracarid crustaceans associated with the alga Corallina elongata along the intertidal rocky shores of the Iberian Peninsula

“…This species is widely distributed, occurring not only all along Mediterranean (Flores-Moya et al 1989;Conde et al 1996;Bárbara and Cremades 1996;Babbini and Bressan 1997) and Atlantic (Guiry 1977;Neto 1994;Araujo et al 2009), where it has been extensively reported, but also in the Pacific (Abbott 1999;Lee 2008). It is a whitish-pink to reddish-lilac calcified algae, with articulated fronds and fish-bone-like arrangement.…”

Climate driven changes in subtidal kelp forest communities in NW Spain

“…Species with a southern, warm temperate, distribution were present further south, sometimes until Cape Verde (West Africa). Where no information was given in Lünning (1990), the distribution as determined by Gorostiaga et al (2004), Barbara et al (2005) and Araujo et al (2009) was adopted. Taxa were indicated as cosmopolitan whenever no clear restriction in distribution was found.…”

Culture-dependent characterization of cyanobacterial diversity in the intertidal zones of the Portuguese coast: A polyphasic study

“…The nonheterocystous cyanobacteria are, indeed, reported as the predominant forms in marine environments [3], [6], [43] and [46]. This seems to be also the case for Portugal, the Checklist of benthic marine algae and cyanobacteria of northern Portugal ("Checklist") reported 26 species of cyanobacteria, 15 of which are Oscillatoriales [2]. Strains belonging to the generaHyella, Myxosarcina, Lyngbya, Pseudophormidium and Calothrix were found in the same area (north of Portugal) as reported in the Checklist.…”

“…In addition to their ecological importance, cyanobacteria are also recognized as being a prolific source of biologically active natural products; some of these compounds are toxic to a wide array of organisms [50]. Nevertheless, little is known about the diversity of these organisms along the Portuguese coast with only a few reports published [2] and [9]. Araújo et al [2] provided an updated checklist of the benthic marine algae of the northern Portuguese coast, including 26 species of cyanobacteria.…”

“…Nevertheless, little is known about the diversity of these organisms along the Portuguese coast with only a few reports published [2] and [9]. Araújo et al [2] provided an updated checklist of the benthic marine algae of the northern Portuguese coast, including 26 species of cyanobacteria. However, these authors based their work on new records, literature references and herbarium data but did not isolate or maintain cultures of the observed specimens.…”