Sometimes they come back: the re-colonization of the alien seagrass Halophila stipulacea (Forsskål) Ascherson, 1867 (Hydrocharitaceae) in the Palinuro Harbor (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)

Gambi, María Cristina; Gaglioti, Martina; Barbieri, Fábio S.

doi:10.3391/bir.2018.7.3.01

Cited by 17 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…The current westernmost distribution of H. stipulacea in the Mediterranean Sea was observed in the Palinuro harbour (Italy, 40.03 • N, 15.27 E • ) (Gambi et al, 2009(Gambi et al, , 2018Di Genio et al, 2020) in the central part of the Mediterranean basin, and the coast of Sousse (Tunisia, 35,9 • N, 10.6 E) (Sghaier et al, 2014) in the south (Supplementary Figure S1). However, the SDM built for H. stipulacea for the present climate scenario predicted a habitat suitability in further western areas, such as the Island of Corsica (France, 42.7 • N, 8.5 • E) (Figure 2A).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Projected Rapid Habitat Expansion of Tropical Seagrass Species in the Mediterranean Sea as Climate Change Progresses

et al. 2020

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During the last 150 years, the tropical seagrass species Halophila stipulacea has established itself in the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea. More recently (2018), Halophila decipiens was observed for the first time in the eastern Mediterranean, and was described as the second non-native seagrass species in the Mediterranean Sea. We implemented a species distribution model (SDM) approach to (1) hindcast the habitat suitability of H. stipulacea over the last 100 years in the Mediterranean basin, and (2) to model the increase in the potential habitat suitability of H. stipulacea and H. decipiens during the current century under two very different climate scenarios, RCP 2.6 (lowest carbon emission scenario) and RCP 8.5 (highest carbon emission scenario). In addition, a principal component analysis (PCA) and k -means cluster based on temperature and salinity drivers were applied to visualize the distance and relatedness between the native and invasive H. stipulacea and H. decipiens populations. Results from this PCA suggest that the H. stipulacea populations of the Mediterranean and Red Sea are likely to be similar. In contrast, H. decipiens from the Mediterranean is more related to the Atlantic populations rather than to the Red Sea populations. The hindcast model suggests that the expansion of H. stipulacea was related to the increases in seawater temperatures in the Mediterranean over the last 100 years. The SDMs predict that more suitable habitat will become available for both tropical species during this century. The habitat suitability for H. stipulacea will keep expanding westward and northward as the Mediterranean continues to become saltier and warmer. In comparison, the SDMs built for H. decipiens forecast a restricted habitat suitability in the south-eastern Mediterranean Sea at the present environmental conditions and predicts a progressive expansion with a potential increase in habitat suitability along 85% of the Mediterranean coastline. The predicted rapid expansion of non-native seagrass species could alter the Mediterranean’s seagrass community and may entail massive impacts on associated ecosystem functions and services, impacts that have severe socio-economic consequences.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Projected Rapid Habitat Expansion of Tropical Seagrass Species in the Mediterranean Sea as Climate Change Progresses

et al. 2020

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“…H. stipulacea may be outcompeted for resources due to its smaller size when compared to the leaf and sheath length of T. hemprichii and C. serrulata. However, there are several occasions where the species forms mixed meadows with other seagrass species or macroalgae ( Boudouresque et al, 2009 ; Sghaier et al, 2011 ; Gambi et al, 2018 ; Apostolaki et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even though performance differences have been observed between individuals from its native and invasive ranges ( Nguyen et al, 2020 ; Wesselmann et al, 2020 ) this species is generally recognized to be tolerant to a wide range of trophic conditions and temperatures ( Winters et al, 2020 ). Although H. stipulacea is considered as invasive in the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas, there is no evidence of competition and displacement of native species in these areas ( Boudouresque et al, 2009 ; Al-Rousan et al, 2011 ; Gambi et al, 2018 ; Apostolaki et al, 2019 ). In addition, the provision of essential ecosystems services by this little seagrass is still under debate and needs further research ( Apostolaki et al, 2019 ; Viana et al, 2019b ; Muthukrishnan et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species-Specific Trait Responses of Three Tropical Seagrasses to Multiple Stressors: The Case of Increasing Temperature and Nutrient Enrichment

2020

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Seagrass meadows are declining globally. The decrease of seagrass area is influenced by the simultaneous occurrence of many factors at the local and global scale, including nutrient enrichment and climate change. This study aims to find out how increasing temperature and nutrient enrichment affect the morphological, biochemical and physiological responses of three coexisting tropical species, Thalassia hemprichii, Cymodocea serrulata and Halophila stipulacea. To achieve these aims, a 1-month experiment under laboratory conditions combining two temperature (maximum ambient temperature and current average temperature) and two nutrient (high and low N and P concentrations) treatments was conducted. The results showed that the seagrasses were differentially affected by all treatments depending on their lifehistory strategies. Under higher temperature treatments, C. serrulata showed photoacclimation strategies, while T. hemprichii showed decreased photo-physiological performance. In contrast, T. hemprichii was resistant to nutrient over-enrichment, showing enhanced nutrient content and physiological changes, but C. serrulata suffered BG nutrient loss. The limited response of H. stipulacea to nutrient enrichment or high temperature suggests that this seagrass is a tolerant species that may have a dormancy state with lower photosynthetic performance and smaller-size individuals. Interaction between both factors was limited and generally showed antagonistic effects only on morphological and biochemical traits, but not on physiological traits. These results highlight the different effects and strategies co-inhabiting seagrasses have in response to environmental changes, showing winners and losers of a climate change scenario that may eventually cause biodiversity loss. Trait responses to these stressors could potentially make the seagrasses weaker to cope with following events, due to BG biomass or nutrient loss. This is of importance as biodiversity loss in tropical seagrass ecosystems could change the overall effectiveness of ecosystem functions and services provided by the seagrass meadows.

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“…Sghaier et al (2014) showed that a small patch (0.2 ha) of H. stipulacea in Cap Monastir Marina (eastern Tunisian coast), grew to cover more than 2.2 ha in only 4 years, and, in the process, displaced 50% of the native Cymodocea nodosa. More evidence of the future potential of H. stipulacea in the Mediterranean, comes from its slow (12 km yr −1 ; Chiquillo et al, 2018) but continuous spread and expansion in this basin, moving westwards and northwards (Lipkin, 1975a;Gambi et al, 2009Gambi et al, , 2018Sghaier et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of Invasive and Native Populations of the Seagrass Halophila stipulacea to Simulated Climate Change

et al. 2020

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Climate change fuels invasions of plant species and displacement of local plants. Little is known about the ecophysiological adaptation of the invasive species, and their ability to cope with the changing conditions in their new habitat. Halophila stipulacea, a tropical seagrass native to the Gulf of Aqaba (GoA; northern Red Sea), became a Lessepsian migrant spreading within the eastern Mediterranean where it could potentially outcompete local species. We analyzed temperature records in the last 35 years and show that water temperature has increased faster in the eastern Mediterranean Sea compared to GoA, suggesting that H. stipulacea's invasive success is associated with adaptation to thermal warming. Furthermore, we compared the responses of native (Eilat, Israel) and invasive (Limassol, Cyprus) H. stipulacea plants to current (26 • C) and predicted thermal maxima (29 and 32 • C) in a controlled experimental microcosm. Morphological and photo-physiological results showed negative effects of heat stress on the native plants while un-affected/or even enhanced performance in their invasive counterparts. Gene expression, studied for the 1 st time in H. stipulacea, pointed to differences in the molecular responses of two populations to thermal stress. Results predict that sea warming will cause vast reductions in H. stipulacea meadows growing in the GoA while it will facilitate H. stipulacea's spread within the Mediterranean Sea.

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Sometimes they come back: the re-colonization of the alien seagrass Halophila stipulacea (Forsskål) Ascherson, 1867 (Hydrocharitaceae) in the Palinuro Harbor (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)

Cited by 17 publications

References 0 publications

Projected Rapid Habitat Expansion of Tropical Seagrass Species in the Mediterranean Sea as Climate Change Progresses

Projected Rapid Habitat Expansion of Tropical Seagrass Species in the Mediterranean Sea as Climate Change Progresses

Species-Specific Trait Responses of Three Tropical Seagrasses to Multiple Stressors: The Case of Increasing Temperature and Nutrient Enrichment

Responses of Invasive and Native Populations of the Seagrass Halophila stipulacea to Simulated Climate Change

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