Journal article
Fast-spreading green beds of recently introduced Halimeda incrassata invade Mallorca island (NW Mediterranean sea)
J Alós, F Tomas, J Terrados, H Verbruggen, E Ballesteros
Marine Ecology Progress Series | INTER-RESEARCH | Published : 2016
DOI: 10.3354/meps11869
Abstract
Mediterraneanmarine biodiversity isundergoing a tropicalizationprocess. We present the first record and spread dynamics of the tropical green seaweed Halimeda incrassata (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta) from the Mediterranean Sea. Plants were observed at 2 sites off Mallorca island (NW Mediterranean), and species identification was confirmed molecularly. Since the first observationofthis alien seaweedin 2011, it has spreadrapidly in the shallow subtidal habitat of a marine protected area located in Palma Bay, which has a depth of up to ca. 20 m. By 2015, this species spread by a factor of 6.75 and extended to an area of 2.7 km2, covering a total of 41% of the monitored area. The dynamics of the i..
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Awarded by project REC2
Awarded by Marie Curie grant
Awarded by JdC
Awarded by ARC
Awarded by ABRS
Funding Acknowledgements
The data used for this study was obtained through the project REC2 (CTM2011-23835) and a Marie Curie grant (grant no. 327160). We thank Antoni Grau (Govern de les illes Balears) for supporting and authorizing the study in the MPAPB and Rosario Rossello and Chiela Cremen for their help. J.A. was supported by a JdC post-doc (FJCI-2014-21239) and F.T. by a RyC grant (MINECO). The Verbruggen lab received funding from the ARC (FT110100585) and the ABRS (RFL213-08). We are grateful for the suggestions and comments made by 3 anonymous reviewers in an early version of the manuscript.