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Biodiversity Journal, 2019, 10 (4): 383–388 https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2019.10.4.383.388
MONOGRAPH

Effects of Caulerpa cylindracea Sonder (Chlorophyta Cauler-
paceae) on marine biodiversity

1
Anna Maria Mannino & Paolo Balistreri 2
1 Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, Section of Botany and Plant Ecology,
University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
2 Vicolo Giotto 6, 91023 Favignana, Italy

ABSTRACT The chief purpose of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is biodiversity conservation. The effects
that invasive alien species (IAS) have on MPAs are not yet fully known, even though assessing
them is fundamental. Effective management plans, indeed, also require knowledge on the dis-
tribution, spread dynamics and impact of IAS. We report first observations on the effects of
Caulerpa cylindracea Sonder (Chlorophyta Caulerpaceae) on the communities living along
the coasts of the Island of Favignana (Egadi Islands MPA, Sicily, Italy). We found that C.
cylindracea may have negative effects on the habitat where it settles in two different ways:
a) affecting the structure of the native algal community which presents a low diversity, and
b) favouring the settlement of other alien species such as Branchiomma bairdi (McIntosh,
1885) (Polychaeta Sabellidae).

KEY WORDS Biodiversity; Branchiomma bairdi; Caulerpa cylindracea; alien species; Mediterranean Sea.

Received 04.07.2019; accepted 20.08.2019; published online 20.12.2019
Proceedings of the 4th International Congress on Biodiversity “Man, Natural Habitats and Euro-Mediterranean Biodiversity”,
November 17th-19th, 2017 - Malta

INTRODUCTION brogi et al., 2011a, b; Katsanevakis et al., 2014),
reaching about 1000 NIS, of which 134 species are
The Mediterranean Sea is an important hotspot macrophytes (Verlaque et al., 2015; Alós et al.,
for non-indigenous species (NIS, i.e. organisms in- 2016).
troduced outside of their natural, past or present, Among IAS, Caulerpa cylindracea Sonder
range and outside of their natural dispersal poten- 1845 (Chlorophyta Caulerpaceae) (until Belton et
tial). NIS may in time become invasive (i.e. inva- al., 2014 it was reported in the literature as
sive alien species “IAS”) and may cause Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea (Sonder) Ver-
biodiversity loss and ecosystem service changes laque, Huisman et Boudouresque 2003), introduced
(Brunel et al., 2013; Giakoumi, 2014; Vergés et al., from Australia and New Caledonia (Belton et al.,
2014, 2016). IAS are recognised as one of the most 2014) and reported for the first time in Italy in 1993
serious threats, after habitat losses, to biodiversity (in Sicily at Baia di San Panagia and at the Island
and natural ecosystem functioning. In the Mediter- of Lampedusa, Alongi et al., 1993), has raised seri-
ranean Sea, due to multiple human-related stres- ous concern due to its ascertained impact on
sors, the number of recorded NIS has enormously Mediterranean communities (Boudouresque et al.,
increased in the last 100 years (Occhipinti-Am- 1995; Antolić et al., 2008; Klein & Verlaque, 2008;