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Caulerpa Taxifolia

Caulerpa Taxifolia. Alex Peskin, Kyah Flickinger, Zack Johnson. What is Caulerpa Taxifolia?. Seaweed-type of algae that was originally used for decoration in aquariums Bred in a lab in Stuttgart, Germany Mutated over time due to exposure to chemicals and ultraviolet light

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Caulerpa Taxifolia

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  1. Caulerpa Taxifolia Alex Peskin, Kyah Flickinger, Zack Johnson

  2. What is Caulerpa Taxifolia? • Seaweed-type of algae that was originally used for decoration in aquariums • Bred in a lab in Stuttgart, Germany • Mutated over time due to exposure to chemicals and ultraviolet light • Due to mutation this seaweed became toxic and potentially harmful if it ever escaped a captive environment

  3. Where did it break out of captivity? • Originated in the Mediterranean Sea, just below the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco. • In the 1980’s this invasive species was discovered by Alexandre Meinesz. He requested help from the museum to help dispose of the algae • The museum refused to admit responsibility for releasing taxifolia into the ocean • This delay in reaction to combat taxifolia allowed the algae to spread out of control

  4. How is it spreading? • Taxifolia reproduces asexually; meaning that this species is basically cloning itself. • If even a small part of the seaweed is separated from the rest of the plant, the small part will regrow and become another whole plant. • Taxifolia can grow as fast as one centimeter per day • Anchors of ships, and fishing nets carry taxifolia from coastal port city to coastal port city, furthering the spread of this invasive species

  5. http://ilikai.soest.hawaii.edu/HILO/cald/megis/ppt/jen/sld010.htmhttp://ilikai.soest.hawaii.edu/HILO/cald/megis/ppt/jen/sld010.htm

  6. Coastal proximity When a population lives close to the coast, it’s more likely that disposed taxifolia will be emptied into waterways.

  7. Aquatic exports and taxifolia proliferation

  8. Aquatic imports and taxifolia proliferation

  9. Our Hypothesis • Without check, this species will grow maliciously and will drive out native species in great swaths of ocean. • Through investigation, we hope to find out if an uncontrolled spread of Caulerpa taxifolia could wreak biological havoc by smothering out biodiversity.

  10. Taxifolia inNew South Wales, Australia Taxifolia off the coast of Queensland in the Great Barrier Reef is non-invasive “Nemo! Don’t eat it!” Taxifolia growth in the bays of New South Wales is invasive- the water is colder but the strain is more tolerant to cold. Invasive taxifolia does have limitations and measures have been taken to eliminate it.

  11. Port Hacking Southern outskirts of Sydney- highly populated. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:PortHacking-Sydney-Ria.jpg

  12. Lake Macquarie Lies directly south of Newcastle- second largest city in NSW http://www.ltl.com.au/hunter/huntermaps/lakemacquarie/lakemacq.htm

  13. Narrawallee Inlet 200 km south of Sydney- 4.7 km long- very rural. http://www.dlwc.nsw.gov.au/care/water/estuaries/inventory/pictures/narrawallee-00.html

  14. Where else it grows • Lake Conjola- almost the entire seafloor! • Gunnamatta Bay • Fishermans Bay- about 1 hectare • All growth colonies together comprise 8.1 square kilometers. www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=caultaxi2

  15. Growth limitations • In water 0.5 to 10 meters deep. • In water with a salinity 27 – 36 parts per million. • In water with a temperature range of 12-25 degrees Celsius. • Thankfully, it has not yet reached the open coastline of Australia. www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=caultaxi2

  16. Taxifolia in the U.S. • Agua Hedionda Lagoon north of San Diego in June 2000 • Huntington Harbour a few weeks later Image Source: Anderson, Lars W.J. 2005.

  17. California’s Reaction • Treatment began only 17 days after discovery • Covered the plants with tarps and pumped bleach into enclosed area Image Source: Anderson, Lars W.J. 2005.

  18. California’s Results • Quick identification • Rapid response and eradication • Adequate funding; emergency similar to oil spill • No new plants since November 2002 • Risk assessment and preparedness for future

  19. Genetic Variations of Taxifolia • Native Strains • Smaller and more nimble • Chloroplast DNA contains an intron in the rbcL gene. • High genetic variation • Colonies grow offshore in tropical waters (Queensland) Queensland • Invasive Strains • Larger and more robust • Chloroplast DNA does not contain an intron in the rbcL gene. • Low genetic variation • Colonies grow in inland waterways in subtropical waters • Could be introduced by runoff or by “human mediated range expansion”. Anchors of ships could carry a fragment to a new waterway. New South Wales

  20. A second outbreak in the Mediterranean? An outbreak off the coast of Tunisia is genetically linked to taxifolia in Australia- ostensibly through the aquatic trade. www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=caultaxi2

  21. Why is it harmful? • Known as the “killer algae” • Taxifolia colonizes huge areas, and is still spreading into new habitats, growing at unstoppable rates. • It is able to grow nearly anywhere from surface levels to low ocean depths, to storm swept capes • Taxifolia contains a toxin that is harmful to most species.

  22. How is Taxifolia threatening biodiversity? • The toxin contained in taxifolia is Caulerpenyne, which is harmful to fish and other species that are predators to the algae • Although taxifolia is harmful to fish, the toxin Caulerpenyne has no affect on humans • Taxifolia has no natural predators in the Mediterranean, and crowds out other fish and plants as it grows at phenomenal rates and the carpets the bottom of the sea • Regions that have been effected by taxifolia now have half the number of fish they used to • Taxifolia is one of the 100 “Worst Invasive Alien Species” threatening biodiversity

  23. Competition • Taxifolia outcompetes native seaweed Posidonia oceanica in the Mediterranean • Forces an increase in primary production in Posidonia, leading to shortage of nutrients in the long term • Competition for light and seafloor area

  24. Toxicity • Sea Urchin Experiment • Time it takes sea urchin to turn over • Taxifolia-free: 1 minute • Consumed taxifolia: 20-30 minutes • Some refused to eat the taxifolia and starved

  25. Behaviour Changes • Mullus surmuletus showed decline in presence and foraging with increasing taxifolia concentration • 1.7% of 159 groups were observed foraging over C. taxifolia • Resting and swimming observed in all conditions Image: http://www.fotosearch.com/AGE036/b16-385552/

  26. Behaviour Changes • The entire area becomes less favorable Graph Source: Levi F, Francour P. 2004.

  27. A Possible Solution • There is a type of sea slug that resides in Florida that feeds solely on taxifolia • The slug produces a unique enzyme that allows it to neutralize the toxin in taxifolia, and then eat the algae • To combat the outbreak of taxifolia in the Mediterranean, it has been suggested to import thousands of these slugs in from the Caribbean to feed on the taxifolia

  28. Drawbacks of the Slug • The French authorities do not want to introduce another invasive species into the Mediterranean • Also the sea slug from Florida cannot survive in the deeper, colder Mediterranean waters • Research is currently being done to find a related slug that also feeds on taxifolia, and will be able to function in lower temperatures

  29. Failed methods of removing taxifolia • Physical removal by hand • Removal by suction pump • Smothering it with heavy rubber conveyor belts

  30. Narrawallee Inlet Method Drop a 25 kg bag of salt on each patch then spread it by hand. This requires lots of time and scuba divers. Result: 20% decrease in density. Six weeks later, all of the patches of growth had grown back. www.nps.gov/bisc/resource/bay.htm

  31. South Australian method Spraying chlorine onto the growth. This method was conducted in South Australia. It kills everything in contact, so this method is not attractive. www.nps.gov/bisc/resource/bay.htm

  32. Lake Macquarie Method Sprinkle 50 kilograms of salt per square meter of taxifolia. This showed a 90% reduction in density. This would require 405,000,000 kg of salt for all of Australia’s taxifolia growth. www.nps.gov/bisc/resource/bay.htm

  33. Nature’s method In July 2003, Narrawallee Inlet received twice its monthly rainfall- 368 mm. The temperature and salinity levels dropped and taxifolia disappeared! There were also no traces of it left in the soil. www.nps.gov/bisc/resource/bay.htm

  34. Conclusions And Thank You! www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=caultaxi2

  35. Works Cited Anderson, Lars W.J. 2005. California’s reaction to Caulerpa taxifolia: A Model for invasive species rapid response. Biological Invasions 7 (6): 1003-1016. Arigoni S, Francour P, Harmelin-Viven M. 2002. Adaptive colouration of Mediterranean labrid fishes to the new habitat provided by the introduced tropical alga Caulerpa taxifolia. Journal of Fish Biology 60 (6): 1486-1497. Casas G, Scrosati R, Piriz ML. 2004. The invasive kelp Undaria pinnatifida (Phaeophyceae, Laminariales) reduces native seaweed diversity in Nuevo Gulf (Patagonia, Argentina). Biological Invasions 6 (4): 411-416. Creese, Robert G, Peter Gibson, Tim Glasby. 2005. Experimental use of salt to control the invasive marine alga Caulerpa taxifolia in New South Wales, Australia. Biological Conservation 122 (4): 573-580. Davidson, Nick. “Deep Sea Invasion.” 2003. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/3008_algae.html. February 6, 2006. Lagesa B.G., B.G. Fleurya, Carlos E.L. Ferreirab and R.C. Pereiraa. 2004. Chemical defense of an exotic coral as invasion strategy. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 328 (1): 127-135. www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=caultaxi2

  36. Works Cited Levi F, Francour P. 2004. Behavioural response of Mullus surmuletus to habitat modification by the invasive macroalga Caulerpa taxifolia. Journal of Fish Biology 64 (1): 55-64. Longepierre S, Robert A, Levi F. 2005. How an invasive alga species (Caulerpa taxifolia) induces changes in foraging strategies of the coastal Mediterranean ecosystems. Biodiversity and Conservation 14 (2): 365-376. Millar, A. “Caulerpa taxifolia in Australia.” 2000. http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=caultaxi2. April 8, 2006. Meusnier I, Valero M, Olsen JL, Stam WT. 2004. Analysis of DNA ITS1 indels in Caulerpa taxifolia (Chlorophyta) supports a derived, incipient species status for the invasive strain. European Journal of Phycology 39(1): 83-92. Pergent G, Dumay O, Pergent-Martini C. 2003. Interspecific competition between the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica and the chlorophyceae Caulerpa taxifolia. Gulf of Mexico Science 21 (1): 107-108. Thibaut T, Meinesz A, Coquillard P. 2004. Biomass seasonality of Caulerpa taxifolia in the Mediterranean Sea. Aquatic Botany 80 (4): 291-297. Wright, J. T. 2005. Differences between native and invasive Caulerpa taxifolia: a link between asexual fragmentation and abundance in invasive populations. Marine Biology 147 (2): 559-569. www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=caultaxi2

  37. Image Sources 1.        www.hawaii.edu/.../ chloro/caulerpa_tax_web.JPG 2.        www.ecosystemaquarium.com/ assets/images/Caule...3.        www.seaslugforum.net/ images/m11665a.jpg4.        www.geografija.hr/ slike/novosti/caulerpa.jpg5.        www.sccat.net/images/ caulerpa_taxifolia_1.jpg6.        www.reactivereports.com/ 13/images/caulerpa.jpg7.        www.lucidcentral.org/ keys/FNW/FNW%20seeds/ima...8.        www.sbg.ac.at/.../ pierofun/ct/scans/fig1f.gif9.        www.calacademy.org/ science_now/images/caul1.jpg10.      www.forestryimages.org/ images/384x256/1360003.jpg11.      www.jadran4you.com/ slike/caulerpa.jpg12.      www.physorg.com/newman/ gfx/news/aplysia.gif www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=caultaxi2

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