Preliminary observations of caulerpin accumulation from the invasive Caulerpa cylindracea in native Mediterranean fish species

S Felline,L Grauso,F Andaloro,A Terlizzi,E Mollo,L Castriota,A Cutignano,P Consoli,M Sinopoli,M Falautano

doi:10.3354/ab00671

Abstract

AB Aquatic Biology Contact the journal Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections AB 26:27-31 (2017) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/ab00671 NOTE Preliminary observations of caulerpin accumulation from the invasive Caulerpa cylindracea in native Mediterranean fish species S. Felline1,*, E. Mollo2, A. Cutignano2, L. Grauso2, F. Andaloro3, L. Castriota3, P. Consoli3, M. Falautano3, M. Sinopoli3, A. Terlizzi4,5 1Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, Università del Salento, CoNISMa, 73100 Lecce, Italy 2Istituto di Chimica Biomolecolare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy 3Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), 98143 Palermo, Italy 4Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, Università degli Studi di Trieste, CoNISMa, 34127 Trieste, Italy 5Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Napoli, Italy *Corresponding author: serena.felline@unisalento.it ABSTRACT: Recent studies have shown that the Mediterranean white sea bream Diplodus sargus includes the invasive green alga Caulerpa cylindracea in its diet, with consequent metabolic and enzymatic alterations. As a result of this novel alimentary habit, the bioactive algal red pigment caulerpin has been detected in its tissues. However, this may not be an isolated case: other fish species have also been reported to feed on C. cylindracea, although the possible accumulation of caulerpin in their tissues has not yet been investigated. In this report, we analysed stomach contents and caulerpin levels in the native sparid species Spondyliosoma cantharus, Sarpa salpa, and Diplodus vulgaris, and in the scarid Sparisoma cretense, along with the Lessepsian siganid Siganus luridus. C. cylindracea was found in the stomachs of all but one fish species, the exception being S. cretense, in which prey items could not be determined due to the high degree of digestion. Chemical analysis of fish tissues revealed that only S. cantharus and S. salpa accumulated caulerpin, while no traces of the compound were detected in the other species. Despite intense research efforts on natural products obtained from C. cylindracea, a complete picture of the impacts caused by fish including this alga in their diet has not been elucidated. The identification of caulerpin in other Mediterranean native fish suggests a need for further research in order to assess the possible transfer of such molecules to humans through seafood consumption. KEY WORDS: Invasive species · Bioaccumulation · Alien metabolites · Food webs · Mediterranean Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Felline S, Mollo E, Cutignano A, Grauso L and others (2017) Preliminary observations of caulerpin accumulation from the invasive Caulerpa cylindracea in native Mediterranean fish species. Aquat Biol 26:27-31. https://doi.org/10.3354/ab00671 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in AB Vol. 26. Online publication date: February 21, 2017 Print ISSN: 1864-7782; Online ISSN: 1864-7790 Copyright © 2017 Inter-Research.

Highlights

Invasive species are causing negative impacts across all regions of the Mediterranean, including many marine protected areas, with the consequent failure of management and conservation practices to maintain native biodiversity (Simberloff 2000)
Analyses of stomach contents were carried out on all fish species, with the exception of Sparisoma cretense, in which food items had been reduced to an indiscernible mass
Caulerpa cylindracea was found in the stomachs of all individuals of Sarpa salpa and Siganus luridus, whereas only 1 specimen both of Diplodus vulgaris and Spondyliosoma cantharus had algae in the gut

Summary

Introduction

Invasive species are causing negative impacts across all regions of the Mediterranean, including many marine protected areas, with the consequent failure of management and conservation practices to maintain native biodiversity (Simberloff 2000). When an alien species is reported in a new environment, it has already established a close relationship with native wildlife. In this regard, the invasion by the green alga C. cylindracea (whose identity and origin remained obscure for a decade after the first record) is proving to be a serious threat to native species in the invaded environments, including fish of commercial interest. Several biological activities have been described for these compounds, potentially contributing to the competitive success of this alga in the invaded habitats (Brunelli et al 2000, Erickson et al 2006, Raniello et al 2007, Rocha et al 2007)

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