The highly invasive alga Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea poses a new threat to the banks of the coral Cladocora caespitosa in the Adriatic Sea

Kružić, Petar; Žuljević, Ante; Nikolić, Vedran

doi:10.1007/s00338-008-0358-7

Cited by 35 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 2 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This finding agrees with those described for other introduced seaweeds, suggesting that, while macroalgal invasions strongly affect diversity of sessile assemblages (Ribera and Boudouresque 1995, Piazzi et al 2001, Schaffelke and Hewitt 2007, Baldacconi and Corriero 2009, Zuljevic and Nikolic 2008, the effects of invasions on mobile organisms are more related to changes in the structure of assemblages (Vázquez-Luis et al 2009, Gestoso et al 2012, Janiak et al 2012, Pacciardi et al 2011, Engelen et al 2013. Differences between invaded and non-invaded beds were not evident five months after the disappearance of L. lallemandii.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Mobile epifaunal assemblages associated with Cystoseira beds: comparison between areas invaded and not invaded by Lophocladia lallemandii

Bedini¹,

Bonechi²,

Piazzi³

2014

Sci. Mar.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary:The study compared the structure of mobile epifaunal assemblages associated with Mediterranean Cystoseira beds between areas invaded and not invaded by Lophocladia lallemandii. A total of 150 taxa were identified: 42 Polychaeta, 78 Arthropoda, 26 Mollusca and 4 Echinodermata. Epifaunal assemblages differed between areas invaded and not invaded by Lophocladia lallemandii when the invasive species reached maximum values of cover and biomass, while differences between conditions were not significant in other periods of the year. The main differences were the greater abundance of amphipods, isopods and polychaetes in invaded areas and the greater abundance of molluscs and decapods in non-invaded areas, while richness and total abundance of organisms were not significantly different between conditions. The effects of Lophocladia lallemandii invasion on Cystoseira-associated assemblages seem to be limited to the period of vegetative growth of the alga and reversible during the period of its vegetative rest.Keywords: biological invasions; Cystoseira crinita; Lophocladia lallemandii; Mediterranean Sea; mobile epifauna. Comunidad de epifauna móvil asociada a las bosques de Cystoseira: comparación entre áreas invadidas y no invadidas por Lophocladia lallemandiiResumen: Este estudio compara la estructura de la comunidad de macroinvertebrados móviles asociada a bosques mediterráneos de Cystoseira entre áreas invadidas por Lophocladia lallemandii y áreas no invadidas. Se identificaron un total de 150 táxones: 42 Polychaeta, 78 Arthropoda, 26 Mollusca, 4 Echinodermata. La comunidad epifaunal difirió entre áreas invadidas por Lophocladia lallemandii y áreas no invadidas cuando la Rhodophyta introducida alcanzó valores máximos de cobertura y biomasa, mientras que no presentó diferencias entre condiciones en otros períodos del año. Estas diferencias fueron principalmente debidas a una mayor abundancia de anfípodos, isópodos y poliquetos en áreas invadidas, y de moluscos y decápodos en áreas no invadidas, mientras que la riqueza y abundancia total de organismos no presentaron diferencias significativas entre condiciones. Los efectos de la invasión de Lophocladia lallemandii sobre las comunidades asociadas a Cystoseira parecen estar restringidos al período de crecimiento vegetativo del alga, siendo reversibles durante el período de pausa de crecimiento.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Mobile epifaunal assemblages associated with Cystoseira beds: comparison between areas invaded and not invaded by Lophocladia lallemandii

Bedini¹,

Bonechi²,

Piazzi³

2014

Sci. Mar.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…C. racemosa competes with benthic organisms by overgrowth of stolons (Piazzi et al 2001, Kru=ić et al 2008, Baldacconi & Corriero 2009) and the enhanced abundance of C. racemosa caused by nutrient enrichment can amplify the effect of stolon cover on benthic assemblages. This effect can lead to severe consequences particularly in coralligenous habitats, which are highly sensitive to environmental alterations (Balata et al 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synergism between two anthropic impacts: Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea invasion and seawater nutrient enrichment

Gennaro¹,

Piazzi²

2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although eutrophication and biological invasions are recognized as important elements of global change, few studies have assessed how their synergism can affect structural and functional traits of marine ecosystems. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of seawater nutrient enrichment on the spread of the introduced Chlorophyta Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea and the interactive effects of nutritional enrichment and C. racemosa invasion on the native macroalgal assemblages of a subtidal rocky bottom. To achieve these objectives, a manipulative field experiment was carried out at 24 m depth in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea by adding C. racemosa and supplying the water column with nutrients. The following treatments were applied: non-manipulated assemblages, nutrient enrichment, addition of C. racemosa, and both nutrient enrichment and addition of C. racemosa. Results showed that C. racemosa spread was enhanced by nutrient enrichment. Moreover, a significant interaction between nutritional increase and C. racemosa invasion was detected: the effects of C. racemosa invasion on native macroalgal assemblages were amplified by nutrient enrichment. Results suggested that synergism between effects of different anthropogenic impacts can have severe consequences on the integrity of marine ecosystems. KEY WORDS: Biological invasions · Nutrients · Rocky bottom · Macroalgal assemblages · Mediterranean Sea Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 427: 59-70, 2011 60 logical invasions has been examined mainly in terrestrial habitats (Burke & Grime 1996, Gross et al. 2005, Leishman & Thomson 2005; in contrast, only a few experimental studies have been carried out to investgate this phenomenon in marine ecosystems (but see Steen 2003, Sánchez & Fernández 2006, Incera et al. 2009). Eutrophication is a growing problem in the marine habitats of coastal waters all over the world (Nixon 1995, Livingston 2001, Howarth & Marino 2006 and is considered one of the main causes of deteriorating coastal water quality and loss of ecosystem complexity (Soltan et al. 2001, Arevalo et al. 2007). Biotic homogenization due to the proliferation of opportunistic species has been attributed mostly to high loading of nutrients derived from industrial and urban sewage effluents (Valiela et al. 1992, Morand & Briand 1996. Furthermore, nutrient enrichment can aid the spread of introduced macroalgae through different mechanisms (Stimson et al. 2001, Torres et al. 2004). Nutrient availability is usually an important factor in determining the species composition of seaweed assemblages (Teichberg et al. 2008). An increase in nutrients in natural systems is detrimental to slow-growing plants which are adapted to nutrient-poor habitats and creates favorable conditions for faster-growing plants, such as many invasive seaweeds. Moreover, the degradation of benthic systems caused by pollution can reduce the native assemblage's resistance to invasions (Stachowicz et al. 1999). Thu...

show abstract

“…The NW Mljet coast is exposed to waves generated by the NE wind (bora), S wind (sirocco), and NW wind (mistral). Detailed information on the M area investigated is available in Bralić (1990), Bognar & Curić (1995), Riđanović & Šimunović (1995), Benović et al (2000), Zavodnik (2003), Dell'Angelo & Zavodnik (2004, Kružić et al (2008), and Hrustić & Bobanović-Ćolić (2017). The Dubrovnik site (D) is located two miles SE from the Old Town.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Predominantly dispersed by sea currents, by the end of 2006 C. cylindracea was found at more than 50 locations along the eastern Adriatic coast, most of them in the Middle and South Adriatic. The impacts of C. cylindracea in the eastern Adriatic Sea have been described in the studies of Antolić et al (2008), Kružić et al (2008), andŽuljević et al (2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epilithic diatom communities from areas of invasive Caulerpa species (Caulerpa taxifolia and Caulerpa cylindracea) in the Adriatic Sea, NE Mediterranean

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Epilithic diatom community structures are compared among three locations of the eastern Adriatic Sea coast (Croatia), in the presence of two different invasive Caulerpa species, C. taxifolia and C. cylindracea, which have spread rapidly in the Mediterranean in the last decades. Forty samples were taken seasonally at three sites (island of Hvar, island of Mljet, and Dubrovnik) between November 2008 and October 2010. Light and electron microscopy examinations were used for qualitative analysis. Altogether 310 epilithic taxa belonging to 65 genera were identified. The highest number of these taxa belonged to Mastogloia (48) and Amphora (32), followed by Diploneis (24), Nitzschia (23), Navicula (22), and Cocconeis (19). A similar seasonal shift in growth form structure was observed for epilithic communities at the three sampling sites, where the number of erect group diatoms doubled (Hvar, Mljet) and tripled (Dubrovnik) in spring. Apart from erect forms, Dubrovnik and Mljet were characterised by adnate forms, while Hvar was characterised by tube-dwelling forms. The highest values of the Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index were recorded in autumn and ranged from 5.26 to 5.34. ANOSIM tests performed on species relative abundance data confirmed that the diatom communities differed significantly between the sampling sites, and that the differences were correlated with the presence of the two species of invasive macroalgae (Hvar – area of C. taxifolia; Mljet and Dubrovnik – areas of C. cylindracea). As revealed by SIMPER analyses, the group of taxa contributing the most to variance between diatom assemblages from sites of different invasive alga included Cocconeis scutellum var. scutellum, Rhopalodia pacifica, Navicula ramosissima, and Berkeleya rutilans. Although the spatial variation in communities may also reflect the effects of unmeasured environmental variables, the results suggest the possible influence of invasive seaweeds of the genus Caulerpa which may affect the habitat by competing with autochthonous algae. This study contributes to the knowledge of diatom diversity both at regional and at broader scales in these challenged environments.

show abstract

The highly invasive alga Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea poses a new threat to the banks of the coral Cladocora caespitosa in the Adriatic Sea

Cited by 35 publications

References 2 publications

Mobile epifaunal assemblages associated with <em>Cystoseira</em> beds: comparison between areas invaded and not invaded by <em>Lophocladia lallemandii</em>

Mobile epifaunal assemblages associated with <em>Cystoseira</em> beds: comparison between areas invaded and not invaded by <em>Lophocladia lallemandii</em>

Synergism between two anthropic impacts: Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea invasion and seawater nutrient enrichment

Epilithic diatom communities from areas of invasive Caulerpa species (Caulerpa taxifolia and Caulerpa cylindracea) in the Adriatic Sea, NE Mediterranean

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About