G. Ceccherelli et F. Cinelli, The role of vegetative fragmentation in dispersal of the invasive alga Caulerpa taxifolia in the Mediterranean, MAR ECOL-PR, 182, 1999, pp. 299-303
This study evaluated the importance of fragmentation in the recruitment of
the fast-spreading, introduced green alga Caulerpa taxifolia at the margins
of beds of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica. A multifactorial experiment wa
s designed to test the hypotheses that there are seasonal differences in pa
tterns of establishment of vegetative fragments, whether this process chang
es with depth and whether these patterns were consistent at different spati
al and temporal scales. Our experimental approach consisted of dispersing d
rifting fragments of C. taxifolia along the margin of a bed of P. oceanica
and recording the number of fragments established after 1 mo. The results s
how that a surprisingly large number of fragments become established in thi
s habitat and that numbers varied in space and time: the probability of est
ablishment of fragments was greatest during summer especially at the shallo
w sites, but smaller in spring and smallest in winter. Differences among ar
eas were also found: a great variability in establishment of fragments depe
nded on the site and time within season. Results indicate that dispersal by
fragmentation can greatly contribute to a very wide spread of the alga in
the Mediterranean. We predict that spread will be greatest during summer wh
en a large proportion of fragments can re-attach to the substratum, even at
shallow sites. Such information is important for the understanding of the
ecology of this species and, with the help of hydrographic studies, in the
prediction of its patterns of geographic dispersal.