Morphological and molecular methods reveal the Asian alga Grateloupia imbricata (Halymeniaceae) occurs on Cantabrian Sea shores (Bay of Biscay)

Abstract:

Introduction of nonindigenous species (NIS) via anthropogenic activities (i.e. shipping) has serious consequences for marine ecosystems. On shores of the Cantabrian Sea (northern Spain), there is no routine NIS screening combining molecular and anatomical methods. This makes the detection of inadvertent expansions of exotic species difficult. In this work, a screening of nonfoliose Grateloupia specimens combining morphological and DNA barcoding procedures (COI-5P and rbcL genes) was conducted in the marina of Gijón, Bay of Biscay. A reproductive population of G. imbricata was found. This is the first report of this introduced Asian seaweed in continental Atlantic Europe. The detection of this species on shores of the Spanish Atlantic is relevant biogeographically since other previous records in the North Atlantic suggest a stepping-stones route via the Azores and Canary Islands. Routine screenings for early detection of exotic algae is becoming a powerful risk assessment tool for further introductions.

Key Words::

• DNA barcoding
• Grateloupia
• Halymeniaceae
• Introduced species
• Rhodophyta

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to Gary W. Saunders (Centre for Environmental and Molecular Algal Research, University of New Brunswick, Canada), who kindly provided us with plenty of research reports and information about the global DNA barcoding project for algae. Thanks also to two anonymous reviewers whose comments considerably improved an earlier version of this manuscript. This work was funded by the University of Oviedo and the Spanish government through the project UNOV-13-EMERG-05 and the National Project MINECO CGL2013-42415-R. This article is a contribution from the Marine Observatory of Asturias (OMA) and the research group GRUPIN14-093.