The Introduction of the Asian Red Algae Melanothamnus japonicus (Harvey) Díaz-Tapia & Maggs in Peru as a Means to Adopt Management Strategies to Reduce Invasive Non-Indigenous Species

Abstract

Early detection of non-indigenous species is crucial to reduce, mitigate, and manage their impacts on the ecosystems into which they were introduced. However, assessment frameworks for identifying introduced species on the Pacific Coast of South America are scarce and even non-existent for certain countries. In order to identify species’ boundaries and to determine the presence of non-native species, through morphological examinations and the analysis of the plastid ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase large subunit (rbcL-5P) gene, we investigated the phylogenetic relationships among species of the class Florideophyceae from the coast of Ancash, Peru. The rbcL-5P dataset revealed 10 Florideophyceae species distributed in the following four orders: Gigartinales, Ceramiales, Halymeniales, and Corallinales, among which the Asian species, Melanothamnus japonicus (Harvey) Díaz-Tapia & Maggs was identified. M. japonicus showed a pairwise divergence of 0% with sequences of M. japonicus from South Korea, the USA, and Italy, the latter two being countries where M. japonicus has been reported as introduced species. Our data indicate a recent introduction event of M. japonicus in Peru, and consequently, the extension of its distribution into South America. These findings could help to adopt management strategies for reducing the spread and impact of M. japonicus on the Pacific Coast of South America.

VLF: An R package for the analysis of very low frequency variants in DNA sequences

“…65 bp) on both the 5' and 3' ends (down to 519 bp) to reduce the overall contribution of (singleton) VLFs. Other studies have followed a similar path (Stoeckle and Coffran 2013, Chakraborty and Ghosh 2015, Collins et al 2015, Chakraborty et al 2017, Machado et al 2018, Sanchez-Velasquez et al 2021.…”

Quantification of the invasiveness risk of non‐native macroalgae in the Azores to support conservation measures

“…Geographic areas with a higher risk of invasion need to be identified with environmental models based on changes in both climate and uses of the maritime space over time, driven by climate factors and new technology developments (Sánchez‐Velásquez et al, 2021). Such areas can then be monitored visually, and molecular markers should be used to confirm the identity of the putative NNS (Faria, Prestes, Moreu, Martins, et al, 2022; Sánchez‐Velásquez et al, 2021). Islands, where species ranked as high risk in this study are not yet present, should be monitored regarding their possible arrival, especially in harbours and marinas (Parente et al, 2018).…”

“…Likewise, changes in and enforcement of legislation concerning the transportation of live organisms for feed, aquarium trade and management of aquaculture waste are also a concern (Barcellos et al, 2023; Lehtiniemi et al, 2015). Geographic areas with a higher risk of invasion need to be identified with environmental models based on changes in both climate and uses of the maritime space over time, driven by climate factors and new technology developments (Sánchez‐Velásquez et al, 2021). Such areas can then be monitored visually, and molecular markers should be used to confirm the identity of the putative NNS (Faria, Prestes, Moreu, Martins, et al, 2022; Sánchez‐Velásquez et al, 2021).…”

“…Likewise, changes in and enforcement of legislation concerning the transportation of live organisms for feed, aquarium trade and management of aquaculture waste are also a concern (Barcellos et al, 2023;Lehtiniemi et al, 2015). Geographic areas with a higher visually, and molecular markers should be used to confirm the identity of the putative NNS Sánchez-Velásquez et al, 2021). Islands, where species ranked as high risk in this study are not yet present, should be monitored regarding their possible arrival, especially in harbours and marinas (Parente et al, 2018).…”

Prospects of dietary seaweeds and their bioactive compounds in sustainable poultry production systems: A symphony of good things?

“…Given the rapidly increasing demand for seaweeds that is driven by the search for natural bioactive products (Harb and Chow, 2022) for use in pharmaceutical and feed/food industries, it is important to sustainably intensify the production of seaweeds. In 2015, an estimated 196 570 tons of seaweeds were produced worldwide, however, there was a 43% reduction in production between 2015 and 2018 due to climate-induced outbreaks of pests and diseases (Sańchez-Velaśquez et al, 2021). In 2019, total algae production was recorded at about 36 million t (FAO, 2021), of which 50% was produced from seaweed aquaculture systems.…”