The Spreading of the Introduced Seaweed Caulerpa taxifolia (Vahl) C. Agardh in the Mediterranean Sea: Testing the Boat Transportation Hypothesis

How different is Mediterranean Caulerpa taxifolia (Caulerpales: Chlorophyta) to other populations of the species?

“…Rather, transport of living thalli by the aquarium trade seems to be the most probable method of dispersal, consistent with the first observation of C. taxifolia in the Mediterranean near the aquarium at Monaco in the early 1980s (Meinesz & Hesse 1991, Meinesz & Boudouresque 1996, Jousson et al 1998. This initial localised occurrence of C. taxifolia in the Mediterranean, followed by the relatively rapid spread by shortdistance transport of thallus fragments entangled in boating gear and fishing nets (Meinesz 1992, Sant et al 1996, Ceccherelli & Cinelli 1999, Smith & Walters 1999, fits the scenario of an invasion, contrasting markedly to the wide distribution pattern for Australian C. taxifolia documented over almost 150 yr. Although it is clear that indigenous populations of C. taxifolia are widespread in Australia, reports of similarities between some Australian and Mediterranean populations raise the possibility of recent introductions of exotic strains into Australia.…”

Responses of common SE Australian herbivores to three suspected invasive Caulerpa spp.

“…as invaders in temperate waters remains unclear. Features other than their secondary chemistry, such as an ability to fragment, disseminate and re-establish a viable alga almost certainly contribute significantly to their success as invaders (Sant et al 1996;Smith and Walters 1999).…”

Molecular evidence for the aquarium origin of the green alga Caulerpa taxifolia introduced to the Mediterranean Sea

“…Isolated colonies were also discovered in French Catalonia (1991), Tuscany, the Balearic Islands (1992), Sicily (1993), andCroatia (1994) (Fig. l ) , possibly resulting from vegetative dissemination by pleasure boats and/or fishing nets (Sant et al 1996). Morphological, ecological and physiological studies have demonstrated that the Mediterranean C. taxifolla differs from known tropical populations, exhibiting larger size, vlgorous growth and resistance to low temperatures (Meinesz et al 1995, Komatsu et al 1997.…”