Growth rates of pelagic Sargassum species in the Mexican Caribbean

Magaña-Gallegos, Edén; García-Sánchez, Marta; Graham, Caroline; Olivos-Ortíz, Aramis; Siuda, Amy N. S.; Tussenbroek, Brigitta I. van

doi:10.1016/j.aquabot.2022.103614

Cited by 26 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The same study also indicated a difference in thermal tolerances between the two species, stating that S. natans has a broader optimal temperature range (18-30 °C) than S. fluitans. Furthermore, recent studies have also indicated similar differences in growth rates between species, as well as differences among morphotypes from the Tropical Atlantic 47 . Studies by Lapointe and colleagues comparing growth rates have also indicated that both pelagic species grow significantly faster with nutrient enrichment 5,48,49 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Seasonal variation in morphotype composition of pelagic Sargassum influx events is linked to oceanic origin

Alleyne

Johnson

Neat

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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The recent proliferation of pelagic Sargassum spp. in the Tropical Atlantic causes major ecological and socioeconomic impacts to the wider Caribbean when it washes ashore, with regional fisheries and tourism industries particularly affected. The Caribbean influxes have been tracked to a new bloom region known as the North Equatorial Recirculation Region (NERR) encompassing the area between the South Equatorial Current and the North Equatorial Counter Current and extending from Africa to South America. The vast biomass of Sargassum presents serious problems when it washes ashore but also represents significant commercial opportunities, especially with biofuel and fertilizer. The floating Sargassum mats are themselves diverse ecosystems that vary both in their biodiversity and biochemical attributes. Two major species (Sargassum fluitans and S. natans) have been identified as well as several distinguishable morphotypes of each. Oceanic mixing tends to blend the morphotypes together making it difficult to determine if there are regions of the NERR that favour bloom and growth of the distinct types. In this study, we quantify the species and morphotype composition of Sargassum strandings in Barbados and test if this is related to separate oceanic origins and routes travelled using a backtracking algorithm based on ocean drifter data. We found significant seasonal variation in the relative abundance of three morphotypes and this could be traced to two distinct easterly sub-origins and/or transport pathways; one area around 15° N that travels directly E–W across the Atlantic, and another area generally south of 10° N that takes a more meandering route coming close the coast of South America. These findings contribute towards our understanding of why the Tropical Atlantic bloom is presently occurring as well as towards addressing valorisation constraints surrounding variation in the supply of the three commonly occurring morphotypes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Seasonal variation in morphotype composition of pelagic Sargassum influx events is linked to oceanic origin

Alleyne

Johnson

Neat

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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“…In addition, a realistic representation of Sargassum growth and mortality would be essential to achieve seasonal or longer‐term predictions. A better understanding of the factors controlling Sargassum growth and mortality is an important challenge for the scientific community, mainly because of the difficulty of growing these pelagic species in controlled conditions (Magaña‐Gallegos et al., 2023a). Progress on this aspect will definitely help to improve Sargassum modeling and forecasting.…”

Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In situ observations have also revealed that three different morphotypes are involved in the proliferation ( Sargassum fluitans III, Sargassum natans I, and Sargassum natans VIII e.g., Alleyne et al., 2023; Dibner et al., 2022; García‐Sánchez et al., 2020; Schell et al., 2015). The eco‐physiological features are species dependent, and it has been shown that Sargassum fluitans III, which has been the dominant morphotype over the recent years (García‐Sánchez et al., 2020), grows significantly faster than the Sargassum natans morphotypes (Changeux et al., 2023; Corbin & Oxenford, 2023; Magaña‐Gallegos et al., 2023a, 2023b). However there is no convergence of the recent studies on the temperature dependance of the different morphotypes (Corbin & Oxenford, 2023; Magaña‐Gallegos et al., 2023a, 2023b) and there is no knowledge of the salinity, light, or senescence dependence of the different morphotypes.…”

Section: Materials and Methods: The Forecasting Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The modeling of growth and mortality characteristics is poorly constrained by observations or experiments, so this aspect is particularly challenging. The main factors that were identified as essential to take into account to represent Sargassum growth are internal nutrient reserves of nitrogen and phosphorus (Hanisak, 1983), dissolved inorganic nutrients (nitrate, phosphate, ammonium) in the external medium (Changeux et al, 2023;Lapointe, 1986Lapointe, , 1995Lapointe et al, 2014Lapointe et al, , 2021Magaña-Gallegos et al, 2023a, 2023b, solar radiation (Hanisak & Samuel, 1987;Lapointe, 1995), sea surface temperature (Hanisak & Samuel, 1987;Magaña-Gallegos et al, 2023b), sea surface salinity (Hanisak & Samuel, 1987), and surface wind speed (Magaña-Gallegos et al (2023a) found that continuous movement of Sargassum is required to allow growth in ex-situ culture systems).…”

Section: Materials and Methods: The Forecasting Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The eco‐physiological features are species dependent, and it has been shown that Sargassum fluitans III, which has been the dominant morphotype over the recent years (García‐Sánchez et al., 2020), grows significantly faster than the Sargassum natans morphotypes (Changeux et al., 2023; Corbin & Oxenford, 2023; Magaña‐Gallegos et al., 2023a, 2023b). However there is no convergence of the recent studies on the temperature dependance of the different morphotypes (Corbin & Oxenford, 2023; Magaña‐Gallegos et al., 2023a, 2023b) and there is no knowledge of the salinity, light, or senescence dependence of the different morphotypes. Thus, we have chosen to model a generic species of pelagic Sargassum .…”

Section: Materials and Methods: The Forecasting Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Skillful Seasonal Forecast of Sargassum Proliferation in the Tropical Atlantic

Jouanno,

Morvan,

Berline

et al. 2023

Geophysical Research Letters

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The large‐scale proliferation of pelagic Sargassum in the Tropical Atlantic from 2011 has been the subject of increasing attention because of its negative consequences on the environment, fishing, and socioeconomic activities when stranding on coastal areas. This recurrent phenomenon presents strong seasonal and year to year variations. Anticipating the abundances and stranding on seasonal scale poses important challenges in terms of observations and modeling. We show that skillful seasonal forecast of Sargassum distribution can be achieved with up to 7 months in advance over the Tropical Atlantic, by integrating both transport and current knowledge on physiology of Sargassum. This forecast is designed to help marine stakeholders to develop mitigation and resilience strategies through anticipatory decision‐making.

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