The role of vegetative fragmentation in dispersal of the invasive alga Caulerpa taxifolia in the Mediterranean

Ceccherelli, Giulia; Cinelli, Francesco

doi:10.3354/meps182299

Cited by 84 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…For this reason, advocates of the genetic alteration theory have alluded to Porquerolles as proof that the alga's rapid development is independent of environmental degradation, which is not the case. The available data demonstrate that substratum enrichment plays a key role in fostering development of Caulerpa (16,25), irrespective of whether this results directly from pollution (26,27), from the impact of pollution on sensitive species such as Posidonia oceanica (16,18), or from other impacts that cause a similar collapse in benthic cover, as reported here.…”

Section: Effort To Have All Varieties Of the Marine Algasupporting

confidence: 64%

A century of warfare shoots holes in anti-Caulerpa campaign

Chisholm¹,

Povinec²,

Briet³

et al. 2007

Nat Prec

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Effort to have all varieties of the marine alga Caulerpa taxifolia listed as noxious weeds hinges on the argument that the alga's proliferation in the Mediterranean Sea is a cause and not a consequence of environmental degradation. Until now, the occurrence of two populations in a pristine part of the northern Mediterranean near the island of Porquerolles has upheld this claim. Here we show that the alga's development at Porquerolles is indeed a consequence of environmental degradation caused by military weapons' impacts on seagrass beds during the last century. The available data show that substratum enrichment plays a key role in fostering development of Caulerpa, irrespective of whether this results directly from pollution or from the impacts of pollution and other anthropogenic factors on benthic vegetation cover.

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Section: Effort To Have All Varieties Of the Marine Algasupporting

confidence: 64%

A century of warfare shoots holes in anti-Caulerpa campaign

Chisholm¹,

Povinec²,

Briet³

et al. 2007

Nat Prec

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“…In the 50 ppm treatment, only 1 of 40 total fragments survived. This result emphasizes the importance of using a sufficiently large sample size to detect the rare survivor; invasive C. taxifolia readily establishes new populations from vegetative fragments (Ceccherelli & Cinelli 1999). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Eradication of the invasive seaweed Caulerpa taxifolia by chlorine bleach

Williams¹,

Schroeder²

2004

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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We investigated the fate of fragments of the invasive seaweed Caulerpa taxifolia from southern California, USA, after exposure to chlorine (10, 15, 50, 125 ppm Cl -at 20 to 23°C and 10 to 11°C) or temperature shock (7 to 10°C, 72°C). Chlorine bleach is currently being used to eradicate C. taxifolia in southern California. At temperatures favorable to growth, ~70% of the fragments survived at chlorine concentrations below 50 ppm; 1 fragment survived at 50 ppm, and none survived at 125 ppm. Within 2 wk, many of the surviving fragments regenerated. After 4 mo of cold treatments, even C. taxifolia not receiving chlorine treatments failed to regrow, despite unusual chloroplast migration into belowground tissues. Re-establishment of a favorable temperature regime did not result in regrowth over a 3 mo period. Acclimation of C. taxifolia to cold waters did not improve its survival. When exposed to 72°C seawater for 60 and 120 min, all fragments but one died within 2 wk. Despite presumably being from a single clone, C. taxifolia exhibited a highly variable response to treatments. Based on these results, chlorine concentrations in eradication treatments should be maintained at 125 ppm for at least 30 min in both the water column and in the sediments to reach stolons and rhizoids. Fragments of C. taxifolia are unlikely to survive or grow at ambient temperatures (8 to 10°C) off the open coast of northern California.

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“…Also, C. taxifolia also has the potential to markedly alter detrital pools. C. taxifolia easily fragments and can be transported large distances (Ceccherelli & Cinelli 1999, West et al 2009), it contains the secondary metabolite Caulerpenyne that can deter some herbivores and limit fouling (Lemée et al 1993, Amade & Lemée 1998. Caulerpa spp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of detritus from the invasive alga Caulerpa taxifolia on a soft sediment community

Taylor¹,

Bishop²,

Kelaher³

et al. 2010

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Invasive primary producers can dramatically reorganize food webs through detrital subsidies. This study assessed (1) contributions of the invasive alga Caulerpa taxifolia to detrital resources of temperate Australian estuaries, and (2) effects of these contributions on sedimentdwelling invertebrates. In an invaded estuary, sampling of an intertidal shore indicated C. taxifolia fragments were consistently present in organic matter deposits and were particularly abundant following storms. Sampling of the alga across 6 invaded estuaries showed that the ratio of organic carbon to nitrogen (C:N) in fresh tissue varied between 7 and 16. To determine how C. taxifolia detritus influences benthic macrofaunal assemblages and whether this influence depends on the quantity and C:N ratio of C. taxifolia detritus, a manipulative field experiment was performed. On a sheltered intertidal mudflat, 0.25 m 2 plots of sediment were experimentally enriched with either a high (90 g DW) or low (30 g) loading of high C:N (14) or low C:N (7) C. taxifolia detritus. Experimental enrichment negatively affected the total abundance and species richness of macroinvertebrates relative to controls, and these effects increased with detrital loading. For some macrofauna, reducing the C:N ratio tended to exacerbate negative effects on abundances, whereas it moderated these effects for other species. Given that organic matter derived from invasive species can be transported beyond the distribution of live invaders, greater consideration should be given to the potential broad-scale effects of invasive primary producers on detrital pathways. KEY WORDS: Detritus · Caulerpa taxifolia · Food quality · Invasion · Nitrogen content · Spatial subsidy Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 420: [73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81] 2010 sources, typically degrades rapidly and produces a short-term nutritional source to fast growing consumers (Tenore 1977). Although the C:N ratio of detritus can change during degradation (Anderson 1973, Suberkropp et al. 1976, the starting C:N ratio is a good predictor of decomposition rate (Enriquez et al. 1993).Invasive primary producers are an increasingly large component of detrital pools (Kennedy & Hobbie 2004, Rodil et al. 2008 and have the potential to markedly alter their value. Many successful invaders have rapid individual growth, early maturity, a short life span, high fecundity, minimal structural defence and extensive dispersal capacity (Lodge 1993, Schaffelke et al. 2006. Consequently, invasive primary producers tend to generate large amounts of labile detritus with a low C:N ratio, which is more readily decomposed than is litter from native species (Vitousek et al. 1987, Ashton et al. 2005. Whereas small amounts of refractory detritus may fuel productivity, large quantities of labile detritus may induce sediment anoxia (Pearson & Rosenberg 1978). This phenomenon may be exacerbated in areas of nutrient enrichment where invasive primary producer...

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The role of vegetative fragmentation in dispersal of the invasive alga Caulerpa taxifolia in the Mediterranean

Cited by 84 publications

References 18 publications

A century of warfare shoots holes in anti-Caulerpa campaign

A century of warfare shoots holes in anti-Caulerpa campaign

Eradication of the invasive seaweed Caulerpa taxifolia by chlorine bleach

Impacts of detritus from the invasive alga Caulerpa taxifolia on a soft sediment community

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