Search results for "Caulerpa"
showing 5 items of 25 documents
Relationships between sediment physico-chemical characteristics and heavy metal bioaccumulation in Mediterranean soft-bottom macrophytes
2001
Abstract Concentrations of Hg, Cd, Pb and Zn in the two seagrasses ( Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa ), green alga Caulerpa prolifera and sediment and some physico-chemical characteristics of the sediment (organic matter, fine fraction (particles Significant correlations between the concentrations of metals in the plants and sediment (alone or normalized with respect to the physico-chemical characteristics) were usually found for Hg and Zn. For Pb only C . prolifera fractions were correlated to the Pb content of the sediment. For Cd no significant correlations were obtained between the metal in the plants and sediment. The concentration factors of the metals in the plants with respe…
Citizens and scientists work together to monitor marine alien macrophytes
2018
The introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS) is an ongoing phenomenon which has been pointed out as a major threat to biodiversity at different levels. NIS may in time become invasive (Invasive Alien Species “IAS”) and may cause biodiversity loss and ecosystem service changes. The Mediterranean Sea is an important hotspot for marine NIS (ca. 1,000 such species recorded to date. To reduce the risk of future IAS introduction and to better understand their invasive potential and spread dynamics, monitoring and surveillance plans are required. The creation of permanent alarm systems and public awareness campaigns are crucial for reducing the risk of IAS introduction. Since intensive monitor…
Interspecific-Competition Strongly Constrains Species-Richness and Species-Abundance Evenness in a Tropical Marine Molluscan Community Inhabiting Cau…
2021
Increasing species-richness at the local scale (within species communities) is accommodated, first, by the diversification of the niches respectively associated to species. Yet, in case of excessive supply in colonizing species issued from the regional pool, the corresponding increase in the number of solicited niches may lead to some “niche-overcrowding” resulting in significant niche-overlaps. Then, second, strong interspecific competition for shared resource can arise, triggered by the density in individuals among those species co-occurring at niche-overlaps. Accordingly, the accommodation of species-richness within a local community involves a balance between (i) the positive contributi…
Effects of Caulerpa cylindracea on marine biodiversity
2017
The Mediterranean sea is an important hotspot for alien species. Following habitat loss, Invasive Alien Species (IAS) are considered to be amongst the most serious threats to biodiversity and natural ecosystem functioning. Among the IAS recorded in the Mediterranean sea, Caulerpa cylindracea Sonder, introduced from Australia and New Caledonia, has raised serious concern due to its negative impact on native communities. We provide some observations on the effects of the presence of C. cylindracea on the communities living along the coasts of the Island of Favignana (Egadi Islands, Marine Protected Areas).
CHEMICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE INVASIVE ALGA CAULERPA TAXIFOLIA VAR. DISTICHOPHYLLA FROM SICILIAN COASTS
2018
Biological invasions by non-indigenous species have been widely recognized among the most important threats to the integrity of Mediterranean ecosystems, often resulting in huge economic and societal impacts. The success of non-indigenous macrophytes in the new range may be due to a variety of factors such as their vegetative reproductive strategy and synthesis of toxic compounds. These toxic compounds may influence native consumers by reducing their performance with negative implications for their overall grazing activity and, ultimately, for their ability to control the spread of the invasive algae in the new area. In particular, the invasive algae Caulerpa taxifolia (Vahl) C. Agardh (Ct)…