Abstract
Cystoseira sensu lato (sl) are three genera widely recognized as bioindicators for their restricted habitat in a sub-coastal zone with low tolerance to pollution. Their ecological, morphological and taxonomic features are still little known due to their singular characteristics. We studied seven species of Cystoseira sl spp. in Cabo de las Huertas (Alicante, SE Spain) and analyzed their distribution using Permutational Analysis of Variance (PERMANOVA) and Principal Component Ordination plots (PCO). A morphological cladogram has been constructed using fifteen phenotypic taxonomic relevant characters. We have also developed an optimized Cystoseira sl DNA extraction protocol. We have tested it to obtain amplicons from mt23S, tRNA-Lys and psbA genes. With these sequence data, we have built a phylogenetic supertree avoiding threatened Cystoseira sl species. Cartography and distribution analysis show that the response to hydrodynamism predicts perennial or seasonal behaviors. Morphological cladogram detects inter-specifical variability between our species and reference studies. Our DNA phylogenetic tree supports actual classification, including for the first-time Treptacantha sauvageauana and Treptacantha algeriensis species. These data support a complex distribution and speciation of Cystoseira sl spp. in the Mediterranean, perhaps involving Atlantic clades. The high ecological value of our area of study merits a future protection status as a Special Conservation Area.
Highlights
The family Sargassaceae Kützing (Phaeophyceae) inhabits all oceans, from polar waters to the warmest tropical seas [1]
The Cystoseira sensu lato species have their maximum diversity in the Mediterranean Sea, with two thirds of all species described found there [2,3,4]
Cartography of Communities Associated with the Coastal Fringe
Summary
The family Sargassaceae Kützing (Phaeophyceae) inhabits all oceans, from polar waters to the warmest tropical seas [1]. Outside the Mediterranean Sea, they are mainly found in the Northeast Atlantic. This may explain why they were reintroduced six million years ago into the Mediterranean Sea. During the Zanclean deluge, after the Messinian desiccation crisis, they may have been dragged by the currents [2,6,7], starting a new colonization process. Recent research corroborates the polyphyletic nature of these algae, distinguishing three genera [8,9,10]. They comprise Cystoseira sensu stricto, Carpodesmia and Treptacantha
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