Naslov
Decline of Caulerpa taxifolia in the Adriatic

Autori
Žuljević, Ante ; Cvitković, Ivan ; Despalatović, Marija ; Lučić, Petra ; Žunec, Ante ; Lušić, Jelena

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u zbornicima skupova, cjeloviti rad (in extenso), znanstveni

Izvornik
Proceedings of the 1st Mediterranean Symposium on the Non-Indigenous Species / Langar, H. ; Ouerghi, A. - Tunis : SPA/RAC, 2019, 82-87

ISBN
978-9938-9574-7-1

Skup
1st Mediterranean Symposium on the Non-Indigenous Species

Mjesto i datum
Antalya, Turska, 17.01.2019. - 18.01.2019

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
Caulerpa taxifolia ; decline

Sažetak
Caulerpa taxifolia (Vahl) C. Agardh (Chlorophyta, Bryopsidales), a green alga of Australian origin, was probably introduced in the Mediterranean in 1984. In the Adriatic Sea, three areas colonized by the alga were detected, all of them in Croatian waters: in Stari Grad Bay (Hvar Island) in 1994 ; Malinska (Krk Island) in 1994 ; and Barbat Channel (Rab Island) in 1996. The majority of the algal patches in Malinska and Barbat Channel were eradicated while the remaining fragments and colonies vanished during the cold winter of 2002/03. In Stari Grad Bay, the alga was detected in more than 15 stations. In 2000, the affected area of the primary station was 50 hectares. Sea bottom at a depth from 0 to 15 m was transformed into a continuous C. taxifolia settlement. From 1997 till 2003, eradication was carried out on secondary stations with virtually complete success. At the primary station, bordering areas were eradicated to prevent its further expansion. The applied methods included covering with a black PVC foil, manual collection, and extraction by suction pumps. In the winter of 2007/08, C. taxifolia radically declined: the covered area in the autumn of 2008 was 95% smaller than the year before. Remaining colonies were found only in a sparse P. oceanica meadow, between 8 and 12 m deep. During the following years, the covered area became even smaller and reached 30 m2 by the end of 2017. Through the preliminary survey at the end of 2018 the alga was not recorded. There is no apparent connection between the observed decline of C. taxifolia in Stari Grad Bay and abiotic parameters. Sea water temperature in the winter of 2007/08 and during the subsequent years was within the normal range. Seeing that a similar decline occurred throughout the Mediterranean, we hypothesized that an unidentified plant pathogen might be responsible for such a synchronous and wide scale vanishing. In addition, the alga was most likely affected by the native ascoglossan Lobiger serradifalci, which can cause significant damage to the C. taxifolia during autumn and winter seasons.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Biologija

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