Distributional range shifts of Western Atlantic benthic Sargassum species (Fucales, Phaeophyceae) under future climate change scenarios

Faga, Fabiano; Gurgel, Carlos Frederico Deluqui

doi:10.1016/j.aquabot.2023.103705

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…From this point of view, S. furcatum could represent a possible threat to the autochthonouscanopy-forming species, which are currently in a regressing status [48]. The foreseen warming scenario could favor the expansion of many Sargassum species, and the possibility that they will become part of the temperate environments is most likely [49]. The replacement of the temperate canopy-forming species by tropical Sargassum species could cause a community shift (in terms of composition and structure) and produce new opportunities for the arrival of other non-indigenous species [49].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The foreseen warming scenario could favor the expansion of many Sargassum species, and the possibility that they will become part of the temperate environments is most likely [49]. The replacement of the temperate canopy-forming species by tropical Sargassum species could cause a community shift (in terms of composition and structure) and produce new opportunities for the arrival of other non-indigenous species [49]. Nevertheless, these species could create new ecological niches and habitats, where canopyforming species are completely lost, as in many Mediterranean areas.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ecology and Phenology of the Subtidal Brown Alga Sargassum furcatum (Ochrophyta, Fucales), a Likely Non-Indigenous Species from the Mediterranean Sea

Marletta,

Lombardo,

Serio

2024

JMSE

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This study provides new insights regarding the ecology and phenology of the likely non-indigenous canopy-forming species Sargassum furcatum on the central-eastern coast of Sicily (Italy, Central Mediterranean). This species was described for St. Thomas (Virgin Islands), and it was reported for the first time in the Mediterranean in 1995 in the Chafarinas islands (Spain, western Mediterranean). After the first report, this species was found in 2021 in several sites located along the eastern coast of Sicily (Italy), along the French Mediterranean coastline, in Corsica, and recently also in the Aeolian Islands (Italy). No phenological studies on this species have been ever carried out in the Mediterranean Sea. To conduct this study, a visual census activity was performed in three sites along the Ionian coast of Sicily throughout 2023, during which the length of the main axis of S. furcatum specimens was measured and the frequency of findings of the species during the year was noted. In this study, it was observed that S. furcatum shows a wide adaptability in terms of range of depth, temperature, light exposure, and type of substrate. Since the distribution of this species is mostly centralized in the western Atlantic Ocean, it is likely that S. furcatum entered the Mediterranean through the Gibraltar Strait. Consequently, the entrance of this species in this Basin could be further proof of the ongoing seawater warming and tropicalization of Mediterranean waters. From this point of view, it is important to keep monitoring the dynamics of S. furcatum in the Mediterranean Sea in order to understand its putative impacts on autochthonous communities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%