1
|
Pedicini L, Vannini C, Rindi F, Ravaglioli C, Bertocci I, Bulleri F. Variations in epilithic microbial biofilm composition and recruitment of a canopy-forming alga between pristine and urban rocky shores. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 188:106035. [PMID: 37267663 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.106035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Brown algae of the genus Ericaria are habitat formers on Mediterranean rocky shores supporting marine biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Their population decline has prompted attempts for restoration of threatened populations. Although epilithic microbial biofilms (EMBs) are determinant for macroalgal settlement, their role in regulating the recovery of populations through the recruitment of new thalli is yet to be explored. In this study, we assessed variations in microbial biofilms composition on the settlement of Ericaria amentacea at sites exposed to different human pressures. Artificial fouling surfaces were deployed in two areas at each of three study sites in the Ligurian Sea (Capraia Island, Secche della Meloria and the mainland coast of Livorno), to allow bacterial biofilm colonization. In the laboratory, zygotes of E. amentacea were released on these surfaces to evaluate the survival of germlings. The EMB's composition was assessed through DNA metabarcoding analysis, which revealed a difference between the EMB of Capraia Island and that of Livorno. Fouling surfaces from Capraia Island had higher rates of zygote settlement than the other two sites. This suggests that different environmental conditions can influence the EMB composition on substrata, possibly influencing algal settlement rate. Assessing the suitability of rocky substrata for E. amentacea settlement is crucial for successful restoration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ludovica Pedicini
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, CoNISMa, Via Derna 1, 56126, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Claudia Vannini
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, CoNISMa, Via Derna 1, 56126, Pisa, Italy; Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca per lo Studio degli Effetti del Cambiamento Climatico (CIRSEC), Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Fabio Rindi
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, I-60131, Ancona, Italy; National Biodiversity Future Center, Italy
| | - Chiara Ravaglioli
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, CoNISMa, Via Derna 1, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Iacopo Bertocci
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, CoNISMa, Via Derna 1, 56126, Pisa, Italy; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Naples, Italy
| | - Fabio Bulleri
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, CoNISMa, Via Derna 1, 56126, Pisa, Italy; Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca per lo Studio degli Effetti del Cambiamento Climatico (CIRSEC), Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
|
3
|
Rizzo L, Pusceddu A, Bianchelli S, Fraschetti S. Potentially combined effect of the invasive seaweed Caulerpa cylindracea (Sonder) and sediment deposition rates on organic matter and meiofaunal assemblages. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 159:104966. [PMID: 32662427 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.104966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2020] [Revised: 03/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The seaweed Caulerpa cylindracea (Sonder) is one of the most successful marine bioinvaders worldwide. Caulerpa cylindracea can influence the quantity and biochemical composition of sedimentary organic matter (OM). However, it is still unknown if the effects of C. cylindracea on both OM and small metazoans (i.e. meiofauna) can change according to different sediment deposition rates. To provide insights on this, we investigated the biochemical composition of sediments along with the abundance and composition of meiofaunal assemblages in sediments colonized and not-colonized by the seaweed C. cylindracea under different regimes of sediment deposition. Our results show that the presence of the invasive alga C. cylindracea could alter quantity, biochemical composition, and nutritional quality of organic detritus and influence the overall functioning of the benthic system, but also that the observed effects could be context-dependent. In particular, we show that the presence of C. cylindracea could have a positive effect on meiofaunal abundance wherever the sediment deposition rates are low, whereas the contextual presence of high to medium sedimentation rates can provoke an accumulation of sedimentary organic matter, less favourable bioavailability of food for the benthos, and consequent negative effects on meiofauna.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Rizzo
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Napoli, Italy; CoNISMa, Piazzale Flaminio, 9 Roma, Italy.
| | - Antonio Pusceddu
- CoNISMa, Piazzale Flaminio, 9 Roma, Italy; Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via T. Fiorelli 1, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Silvia Bianchelli
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Simonetta Fraschetti
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Napoli, Italy; CoNISMa, Piazzale Flaminio, 9 Roma, Italy; Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Crystal-Ornelas R, Lockwood JL. Cumulative meta-analysis identifies declining but negative impacts of invasive species on richness after 20 yr. Ecology 2020; 101:e03082. [PMID: 32319080 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Revised: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
A principal impact of invasive species is that they reduce local species richness. However, it is unknown whether the magnitude of the richness decrease has been consistent over the past two decades of published research. We used cumulative meta-analysis to synthesize evidence from 240 articles evaluating whether this cumulative evidence base generally supports, or refutes, the association between invasive species presence and richness declines. First, we determined whether evidence accumulation lowered the mean effect size of invasive species on local native richness through time; termed the "decline effect." Then, as mean effect sizes changed over time, we identified when accumulated evidence reached sufficiency, indicating that the mean effect direction (positive or negative) was unlikely to be reversed by unpublished research. We also assessed whether the mean effect size reached a threshold of stability over publication years. To date, no research has tested mechanisms of the decline effect, and here we determine whether publication bias, sample size, time since invasion, or invader trophic position are driving a decline effect in the published evidence base. We found a clear decline in the cumulative mean effect of invasive species on local native species richness as published evidence accumulated between 1999 and 2016. Despite this decline, an average negative association was stable and sufficiently robust to unpublished studies by 2007, showing a 21% mean richness decrease by 2016. Contrary to our expectation, the decline effect manifested consistently regardless of invasive species trophic position, time since invasion, or journal rank. Within taxonomic subgroups, trees, insects, and herbaceous plants exhibit a decline effect, yet still show sufficient and stable negative impacts on richness. However, many other taxonomic subgroups (e.g., crustaceans, fish, mammals) lack evidence for average negative impacts on richness, or have not met sufficiency or stability thresholds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert Crystal-Ornelas
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, College Farm Road, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of San Francisco, Kalmanovitz Hall G65, 2130 Fulton Street, San Francisco, California, 94117, USA
| | - Julie L Lockwood
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, College Farm Road, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
A new record of the invasive seaweed Caulerpa cylindracea Sonder in the South Adriatic Sea. Heliyon 2019; 5:e02449. [PMID: 31687554 PMCID: PMC6819781 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Revised: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The green alga Caulerpa cylindracea Sonder is one of the most infamous and threatening invasive species in the Mediterranean Sea. Since 1985, it started rapidly spreading to all Mediterranean regions causing many ecological changes on natural communities. In the present study, we present an example of this proliferation with the first record in the Marine Protected Area of Tremiti Island (MPATI) in the South Adriatic Sea. Fifteen sites along the coast and 5 different depths have been investigated. Our results provide eveidence of a wide invasion of this pest in three islands, San Domino, San Nicola and Capraia. This study fills a particular data gap in the ongoing biomonitoring of invasive seaweeds in the Mediterranean Sea representing a base line of this invasive species for the MPATI.
Collapse
|
6
|
Anton A, Geraldi NR, Lovelock CE, Apostolaki ET, Bennett S, Cebrian J, Krause-Jensen D, Marbà N, Martinetto P, Pandolfi JM, Santana-Garcon J, Duarte CM. Global ecological impacts of marine exotic species. Nat Ecol Evol 2019; 3:787-800. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-019-0851-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
|
7
|
Voerman SE, Glasby TM, Gladstone W, Gribben PE. Habitat associations of an expanding native alga. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2017; 131:205-214. [PMID: 29021082 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2017.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2017] [Revised: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 09/24/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
There are many examples of native macrophytes becoming locally dominant and spreading outside their traditional distributions, but the causes and impacts are often not understood. In New South Wales, Australia, the green alga Caulerpa filiformis is undergoing a range expansion and has transitioned from a subdominant to a dominant alga on several rocky shores around the Sydney coastline. Here we investigated relationships between established patches of C. filiformis, the habitat it occupies and associated algal communities at multiple subtidal sites over the green alga's 700 km range. We tested the following predictions: 1) C. filiformis cover differs among substrata, being greatest on turf-forming algae; 2) C. filiformis cover is positively related to environmental variables linked to increased sedimentation (e.g. reduced reef width, surface slope, increased rugosity and distance from shore); 3) occurrence of C. filiformis is associated with a change in macrophyte community structure and a reduction of macrophyte richness; 4) intact native algal canopies inhibit C. filiformis spread, but turf-forming algae and bare sand are susceptible to invasion. Substratum associations were highly consistent among sites, but contrary to our prediction, C. filiformis was most commonly associated with rock or rock + sand substratum and less frequently associated with turf-forming algae substratum. C. filiformis cover was negatively correlated with reef width, which explained most of the variation observed, although local scale variables distance from shore, reef slope, and water depth were also correlated with C. filiformis cover. Algal diversity and community composition typically differed in the presence of C. filiformis, often with a reduction of algal abundances, in particular Sargassum spp., although results varied among substrata and sites. However, monitoring of borders suggested that C. filiformis does not invade and outcompete undisturbed adjacent canopy-forming algae over a 12 month period. Our results suggest that disturbance processes (possibly linked to sedimentation) acting at the site and quadrat scale are likely important determinants of C. filiformis cover and spread, and hence its potential ecological impacts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sofie E Voerman
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia; Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia(1).
| | - Tim M Glasby
- New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Port Stephens Fisheries Institute, Locked Bag 1, Nelson Bay, NSW 2315, Australia
| | - William Gladstone
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Paul E Gribben
- Centre for Marine BioInnovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia; Sydney Institute of Marine Science, 19 Chowder Bay Road, Mosman, NSW 2088, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Uyà M, Maggi E, Mori G, Nuccio C, Gribben PE, Bulleri F. Carry over effects of nutrient addition on the recovery of an invasive seaweed from the winter die-back. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2017; 126:37-44. [PMID: 28237887 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2017.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2016] [Revised: 02/06/2017] [Accepted: 02/17/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Nutrient enrichment of coastal waters can enhance the invasibility and regrowth of non-native species. The invasive alga Caulerpa cylindracea has two distinct phases: a well-studied fast-growing summer phase, and a winter latent phase. To investigate the effects of nutrient enrichment on the regrowth of the seaweed after the winter resting-phase, a manipulative experiment was carried out in intertidal rockpools in the North-western Mediterranean. Nutrients were supplied under different temporal regimes: press (constant release from January to May), winter pulse (January to March) and spring pulse (March to May). Independently from the temporal characteristics of their addition, nutrients accelerated the re-growth of C. cylindracea after the winter die-back, resulting in increased percentage covers at the peak of the growing season. Nutrient addition did not influence the number and length of fronds and the biomass. Native components of the algal community did not respond to nutrient additions. Our results show that nutrient supply can favour the spread of C. cylindracea even when occurring at a time of the year at which the seaweed is not actively growing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marc Uyà
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, Via Derna 1, 56126 Pisa, Italy; Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia.
| | - Elena Maggi
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, Via Derna 1, 56126 Pisa, Italy; CoNISMa, Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare, Piazzale Flaminio 9, 00196 Roma, Italy
| | - Giovanna Mori
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Firenze, Via Micheli 1, 50121 Firenze, Italy
| | - Caterina Nuccio
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Firenze, Via Micheli 1, 50121 Firenze, Italy
| | - Paul E Gribben
- Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia
| | - Fabio Bulleri
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, Via Derna 1, 56126 Pisa, Italy; CoNISMa, Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare, Piazzale Flaminio 9, 00196 Roma, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
A few is enough: a low cover of a non-native seaweed reduces the resilience of Mediterranean macroalgal stands to disturbances of varying extent. Biol Invasions 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-017-1442-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
|
10
|
Guarnieri G, Fraschetti S, Bogi C, Galil BS. A hazardous place to live: spatial and temporal patterns of species introduction in a hot spot of biological invasions. Biol Invasions 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-017-1441-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
11
|
Pusceddu A, Fraschetti S, Scopa M, Rizzo L, Danovaro R. Meiofauna communities, nematode diversity and C degradation rates in seagrass (Posidonia oceanica L.) and unvegetated sediments invaded by the algae Caulerpa cylindracea (Sonder). MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2016; 119:88-99. [PMID: 27258353 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2016.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2015] [Revised: 05/16/2016] [Accepted: 05/17/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
We investigated meiofauna and sedimentary C cycling in seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) and unvegetated sediments invaded and not invaded by the non-indigenous tropical algae Caulerpa cylindracea. In both habitats, invaded sediments were characterized by higher organic matter contents. No effect was observed for prokaryotes and C degradation rates. In seagrass sediments, C turnover in invaded beds was about half that in not invaded ones. Meiofaunal communities varied significantly among invaded and not invaded grounds only in bare sediments. In both habitats, nematode species richness and assemblage composition were not affected by the algae. The effect of C. cylindracea on the turnover and nestedness components of the Jaccard dissimilarity varied between the two habitats. We show that the presence of C. cylindracea gives rise to variable consequences on meiofauna biodiversity and C cycling in different habitats. We conclude that further studies across different habitats and ecological components are needed to ultimately understand and predict the consequences of C. cylindracea invasion in shallow Mediterranean ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Pusceddu
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via Fiorelli 1, 09126 Cagliari, Italy.
| | - Simona Fraschetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, Università del Salento, V.le Gallipoli, 49, 73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Mariaspina Scopa
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy; Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise, Via Rio Vivo, 86039 Termoli, Italy
| | - Lucia Rizzo
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, Università del Salento, V.le Gallipoli, 49, 73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Roberto Danovaro
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale I, 80121 Napoli, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Bulleri F, Badalamenti F, Iveša L, Mikac B, Musco L, Jaklin A, Rattray A, Vega Fernández T, Benedetti-Cecchi L. The effects of an invasive seaweed on native communities vary along a gradient of land-based human impacts. PeerJ 2016; 4:e1795. [PMID: 27014513 PMCID: PMC4806595 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2015] [Accepted: 02/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The difficulty in teasing apart the effects of biological invasions from those of other anthropogenic perturbations has hampered our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning the global biodiversity crisis. The recent elaboration of global-scale maps of cumulative human impacts provides a unique opportunity to assess how the impact of invaders varies among areas exposed to different anthropogenic activities. A recent meta-analysis has shown that the effects of invasive seaweeds on native biota tend to be more negative in relatively pristine than in human-impacted environments. Here, we tested this hypothesis through the experimental removal of the invasive green seaweed, Caulerpa cylindracea, from rocky reefs across the Mediterranean Sea. More specifically, we assessed which out of land-based and sea-based cumulative impact scores was a better predictor of the direction and magnitude of the effects of this seaweed on extant and recovering native assemblages. Approximately 15 months after the start of the experiment, the removal of C. cylindracea from extant assemblages enhanced the cover of canopy-forming macroalgae at relatively pristine sites. This did not, however, result in major changes in total cover or species richness of native assemblages. Preventing C. cylindracea re-invasion of cleared plots at pristine sites promoted the recovery of canopy-forming and encrusting macroalgae and hampered that of algal turfs, ultimately resulting in increased species richness. These effects weakened progressively with increasing levels of land-based human impacts and, indeed, shifted in sign at the upper end of the gradient investigated. Thus, at sites exposed to intense disturbance from land-based human activities, the removal of C. cylindracea fostered the cover of algal turfs and decreased that of encrusting algae, with no net effect on species richness. Our results suggests that competition from C. cylindracea is an important determinant of benthic assemblage diversity in pristine environments, but less so in species-poor assemblages found at sites exposed to intense disturbance from land-based human activities, where either adverse physical factors or lack of propagules may constrain the number of potential native colonizers. Implementing measures to reduce the establishment and spread of C. cylindracea in areas little impacted by land-based human activities should be considered a priority for preserving the biodiversity of Mediterranean shallow rocky reefs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Bulleri
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa , Pisa , Italy
| | - Fabio Badalamenti
- CNR-IAMC, Istituto per l'Ambiente Marino Costiero , Castellammare del Golfo , Italy
| | - Ljiljana Iveša
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Center for Marine Research, G. Paliaga , Rovinj , Croatia
| | - Barbara Mikac
- CNR-IAMC, Istituto per l'Ambiente Marino Costiero , Castellammare del Golfo , Italy
| | - Luigi Musco
- CNR-IAMC, Istituto per l'Ambiente Marino Costiero , Castellammare del Golfo , Italy
| | - Andrej Jaklin
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Center for Marine Research, G. Paliaga , Rovinj , Croatia
| | - Alex Rattray
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa , Pisa , Italy
| | - Tomás Vega Fernández
- CNR-IAMC, Istituto per l'Ambiente Marino Costiero, Castellammare del Golfo, Italy; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Napoli, Italy
| | | |
Collapse
|