Sediment as a constituent of Mediterranean benthic communities dominated by Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea

Mediterranean macroalgal assemblages in areas invaded and non-invaded by Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea were compared and trapped sediments were characterised. Results showed that assemblages invaded by C. racemosa var. cylindracea differed greatly from non-invaded ones: encrusting and erect alg...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientia marina 2007-03, Vol.71 (1), p.129-135
Main Authors: Piazzi, Luigi, Balata, David, Foresi, Luca, Cristaudo, Cristina, Cinelli, Francesco
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
biological invasions
Caulerpa racemosa
macroalgal assemblages
mediterranean sea
sediments
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Summary:Mediterranean macroalgal assemblages in areas invaded and non-invaded by Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea were compared and trapped sediments were characterised. Results showed that assemblages invaded by C. racemosa var. cylindracea differed greatly from non-invaded ones: encrusting and erect algae, both articulated and foliose, decreased in invaded areas, while opportunistic filamentous species increased their abundance The percentage of sediment was 7 times higher in areas invaded by C. racemosa var. cylindracea than in non-invaded areas. Characteristics of trapped sediments were similar in all the studied assemblages, while redox values were lower in the invaded ones. Results suggested that sediment constitutes an important component in C. racemosa var. cylindracea populations, probably enhancing the competitive ability of this species.
ISSN:0214-8358
1886-8134
DOI:10.3989/scimar.2007.71n1129