Settlement and Spreading of the Introduced Seaweed Caulacanthus okamurae (Rhodophyta) in the Mediterranean Sea

Petrocelli, Antonella; Wolf, Marion A.; Cecere, Ester; Sciuto, Katia; Sfriso, Adriano

doi:10.3390/d12040129

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Settlement and Spreading of the Introduced Seaweed Caulacanthus okamurae (Rhodophyta) in the Mediterranean Sea

by

Antonella Petrocelli

¹,

Marion A. Wolf

^2,*,

Ester Cecere

¹,

Katia Sciuto

²

and

Adriano Sfriso

²

¹

Institute of Water Research (IRSA), CNR, Talassografico “A. Cerruti”, Via Roma 3, 74123 Taranto, Italy

²

Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, 30172 Venice, Italy

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Diversity 2020, 12(4), 129; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12040129

Submission received: 3 March 2020 / Revised: 27 March 2020 / Accepted: 28 March 2020 / Published: 30 March 2020

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity of Macroalgae)

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Abstract

In this study, we report the first finding of the non-indigenous seaweed Caulacanthus okamurae (Rhodophyta) in the Ionian and Adriatic Seas (Mediterranean). Specimens were identified through molecular analyses based on the plastid ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rbcL) marker. The sequences obtained during this study represent the first molecular evidence of the presence of this taxon in the Mediterranean Sea. Stable populations have been detected in some areas of the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Italy) and in the whole lagoon of Venice, forming dense patches of low turf that reach high biomasses. Turf-forming algae are common in the intertidal zones of tropical regions, but are rare in temperate ones. The particular environmental conditions of transitional water systems, such as the Mar Piccolo of Taranto and the Venice Lagoon, together with the water temperature increase observed in the last years could have favored the settlement and spread of this introduced species.

Keywords: Caulacanthus okamurae; Mediterranean Sea; non-indigenous species; rbcL; transitional water systems

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MDPI and ACS Style

Petrocelli, A.; Wolf, M.A.; Cecere, E.; Sciuto, K.; Sfriso, A. Settlement and Spreading of the Introduced Seaweed Caulacanthus okamurae (Rhodophyta) in the Mediterranean Sea. Diversity 2020, 12, 129. https://doi.org/10.3390/d12040129

AMA Style

Petrocelli A, Wolf MA, Cecere E, Sciuto K, Sfriso A. Settlement and Spreading of the Introduced Seaweed Caulacanthus okamurae (Rhodophyta) in the Mediterranean Sea. Diversity. 2020; 12(4):129. https://doi.org/10.3390/d12040129

Chicago/Turabian Style

Petrocelli, Antonella, Marion A. Wolf, Ester Cecere, Katia Sciuto, and Adriano Sfriso. 2020. "Settlement and Spreading of the Introduced Seaweed Caulacanthus okamurae (Rhodophyta) in the Mediterranean Sea" Diversity 12, no. 4: 129. https://doi.org/10.3390/d12040129

APA Style

Petrocelli, A., Wolf, M. A., Cecere, E., Sciuto, K., & Sfriso, A. (2020). Settlement and Spreading of the Introduced Seaweed Caulacanthus okamurae (Rhodophyta) in the Mediterranean Sea. Diversity, 12(4), 129. https://doi.org/10.3390/d12040129

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Settlement and Spreading of the Introduced Seaweed Caulacanthus okamurae (Rhodophyta) in the Mediterranean Sea

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