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The Sargassum conundrum: very rare, threatened or locally extinct in the NW Mediterranean and still lacking protection

  • VULNERABILITY OF AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
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Abstract

Species of the genus Sargassum are large canopy-forming marine brown algae (engineer species) found worldwide from tropical to cold-temperate latitudes. Among this very diversified genus (335 taxa accepted taxonomically), only 9 species (including the invasive S. muticum) have been reported from the Mediterranean Sea. We have analysed the changes over more than two centuries in the Sargassum’s pattern of distribution along ~2,970 km of north-western Mediterranean coasts, using all available historical sources (literature and herbarium vouchers) and 2003–2014 field surveys. Though common in the past, all the long-lived native Mediterranean species (except S. vulgare) have become extremely rare or locally extinct, while the invasive S. muticum has developed large populations in some coastal lagoons. The increase in water turbidity, trawling and fishing nets is possibly responsible for the regression of the deep populations of S. hornschuchii, S. acinarium, whereas overgrazing by sea urchins and habitat destruction (coastal development) are probably responsible for the decline of shallow populations. In contrast with the terrestrial realm, where thousands of species are protected, even some relatively common species, Mediterranean species of Sargassum that seem to have become extinct in extensive areas, such as S. acinarium and S. hornschuchii, are, surprisingly, still lacking proper protection status and inclusion on the IUCN Red List.

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Acknowledgements

We thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions which have improved the present article. This work was funded by the Agence de l’Eau Rhône Méditerranée & Corse, Pierre Boissery. We are indebted to Michèle Boudouresque for bibliographical assistance. We thank the curators of the following herbaria we visited at the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle (B. Dennetière and B. de Reviers), Villa Thuret (C. Ducatillon), Museum d’Histoire Naturelle d’Aix-en-Provence (C. Delnatte, M. Durand), Museum d’Histoire Naturelle de Toulon (L. Charrier), Museum d’Histoire Naturelle d’Avignon (P. Moulet), Herbier de l’Université de Montpellier 2 (V. Bourgade), Museum d’Histoire Naturelle de Nice (B. Rollier), Musée Océanographique de Monaco (M. Bruni). We thank Eric Pirronneau for technical assistance at sea, the rangers of the French MPAs: H. Bergère (Port-Cros), N. Négre (Bonifacio), J.M. Culioli (Bonifacio), M.C. Santoni (Bonifacio), J.M. Dominici (Scandola), J. Payrot (Cerbère-Banyuls), J.P. Morin (Observatoire du Littoral des Maures). Thanks are due to M. Paul for proof-reading the article.

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  1. Aix-Marseille University and Toulon University, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), CNRS/INSU, IRD, UM 110, Campus of Luminy, 13288, Marseille Cedex 9, France

    Thierry Thibaut, Aurélie Blanfuné, Marc Verlaque, Charles-François Boudouresque & Sandrine Ruitton

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  1. Thierry Thibaut
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Correspondence to Thierry Thibaut.

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Thibaut, T., Blanfuné, A., Verlaque, M. et al. The Sargassum conundrum: very rare, threatened or locally extinct in the NW Mediterranean and still lacking protection. Hydrobiologia 781, 3–23 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2580-y

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