Why is killer algae dangerous

The Web-based Rapid Response Toolbox. Meinesz A, Killer Algae. A true tale of a biological invasion. Caulerpa taxifolia: following its invasion.

Caulerpa taxifolia poursuit son invasion. Biofutur, No. The introduced green alga Caulerpa taxifolia continues to spread in the Mediterranean. Biological Invasions, Variations in the structure, morphology and biomass of Caulerpa taxifolia in the Mediterranean Sea. Botanica Marina, Meinesz A; Hesse B, Phylogenetic analyses of Caulerpa taxifolia Chlorophyta and of its associated bacterial microflora provide clues to the origin of the Mediterranean introduction.

Molecular Ecology, 10 4 Polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism analyses of nuclear and chloroplast DNA provide evidence for recombination, multiple introductions and nascent speciation in the Caulerpa taxifolia complex. Molecular Ecology, 11 11 Entry for Caulerpa taxifolia. Lack of epifaunal response to the application of salt for managing the noxious green alga Caulerpa taxifolia in a coastal lake.

Hydrobiologia, How different is Mediterranean Caulerpa taxifolia Caulerpales: Chlorophyta to other populations of the species? Fish biodiversity in a Caulerpa taxifolia meadow in the Ligurian Sea.

Italian Journal of Zoology, 65 Supp The role of fishing gear in the spreading of allochthonous species: the case of Caulerpa taxifolia in the Ligurian sea. Modeling the increase and control of Caulerpa taxifolia, an invasive marine macroalga.

Biological Invasions, 8 2 Caulerpa taxifolia responses to hyposalinity stress. Aquatic Botany, 87 3 Thibaut T; Meinesz A, Are the Mediterranean ascoglossan molluscs Oxynoe olivacea and Lobiger serradifalci suitable agents for a biological control against the invading tropical alga Caulerpa taxifolia?

Journal of Applied Phycology, 12 1 UNEP, Caulerpa taxifolia, a growing menace for the temperate marine environment. Environment Alert Bulletin, Anchors aweigh: fragment generation of invasive Caulerpa taxifolia by boat anchors and its resistance to desiccation.

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Marine Biology, 2 Demographic feedback between clonal growth and fragmentation in an invasive seaweed. Ecology, 87 7 A decline in the abundance and condition of a native bivalve associated with Caulerpa taxifolia invasion.

Marine and Freshwater Research, 58 3 Taxonomic diversity and geographic distributions of aquarium-traded species of Caulerpa Chlorophyta: Caulerpaceae in southern California, USA. CABI, Undated a. CABI, Undated b. In: Database on introductions of aquatic species.

Biological Invasions. Marine Ecology, Progress Series. Aquatic Botany. Environment Alert Bulletin, 1, It is thus growing unrestrained, covering and then eliminating many plant and animal species. A new equilibrium is reached when the alga forms a dense, uniform carpet that persists from year to year.

After having selected it for aquaria from among numerous imported algal species, after having dumped it into the sea, humans fostered its dissemination in nature. Yacht anchors and fishing gear have carried it from anchorage to anchorage and from harbor to harbor, sometimes over great distances.

The Italian and Spanish coasts were reached by , that of Croatia by By late , ninety-nine invaded sites totaling more than 4, hectares have been inventoried. Rocky substrates covered by Caulerpa taxifolia Cap Martin, 26 meters with gorgonians. No one has ever been killed by Caulerpa taxifolia , known as the "killer alga. All relevant research indicates an unlimited spread. Its control is more difficult every year, and its eradication, envisaged at the beginning of the invasion, can now be classed only as a utopian dream.

The introduction of this dangerous alga therefore threatens to initiate a profound disruption of the coastal Mediterranean environment. The story of the "killer alga" has, unfortunately, just begun. How did we reach this point? When the first scientific publications confirmed the threat, the alga was, contrary to any reasonable expectation, defended by other scientists who tried to argue that its appearance was a natural event.

This was the beginning of a long, fantastic polemic. The affair is even stranger because the place where the alga was introduced to the Mediterranean is truly incongruous--the principality of Monaco, a state with one of the highest standards of living. This is far from the Polish forests devastated by acid rain, far from the Aral Sea dried up by diverting water, far from the third world where overpopulation engenders overexploitation of natural resources.

More remarkably, the first signs of the invasion were observed just in front of a palace of the sea, a landmark of marine biology: the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco.

This prestigious palace, built between and by Prince Albert I of Monaco a highly erudite and competent oceanographer , was directed from through by Commander Jacques-Yves Cousteau, a person emblematic of the sea. The polemic has been heated, fed by the defense of many different interests.

It was able to break out because key scientific and government authorities were lax and because of disdain for a problem that does not directly threaten human health. An abundance of communications on this affair masks inadequate knowledge and a failure of government experts. The object of byzantine debates between scientists, government experts, public figures, and the media, this sterile controversy slowed the recognition of the threat. The threat was long underestimated while the time during which it might have been successfully contained dribbled away.

The alga grew inexorably, and it still grows, disturbing the marine environment. I am a very popular saltwater aquarium plant thanks to my hardiness and my attractive green fronds. My ticket to invade a new environment is when an aquarium owner decides to "give up the tank" so to speak and dumps me along with the rest of the aquarium into the ocean.

I can also be spread long distances by boat anchors. Once I get into the ocean, I spread really fast! I can grow as much as 3 inches a day, and start a new invasion from just one tiny fragment. For example, I was introduced to the Mediterranean Sea in , and as of , I covered 12, hectares.

That's the same as 39 thousand football fields! I used to be a mild-mannered tropical seaweed, but now they call me "killer algae. Well, the trouble started when people raised me to grow fast and tolerate cold water so I would be a good aquarium plant. Nutrient Pollution. Contact Us. Harmful Algal Blooms. Related Info. Free webinars View past webinars. Blog Keeping pets- and people- safe from toxic algae.