Caulerpa racemosa

var. cylindracea



Taxon Family / Order / Class / Phylum
Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea (Sonder) Verlaque,
Huisman and Boudouresque, 2003
Caulerpaceae / Bryopsidales / Bryopsidophyceae /
Chlorophyta
COMMON NAMES (English only)
Grape algae
SYNONYMS
Caulerpa cylindracea Sonder, 1845
Ahnfeltia cylindracea (Sonder) Trevisan, 1849
Chauvinia cylindracea (Sonder) Ktzig, 1849
Caulerpa racemosa var. laetevirens f. cylindracea
(Sonder) Weber van Bosse, 1898
SHORT DESCRIPTION
A green macroalgae with slender thallus, lacking large
rhizoidal pillars, basal part of the upright axes slightly
inflated immediately above the attachment to the stolon,
clavate branchlets, uncrowded and radially to
distichously disposed.
BIOLOGY/ECOLOGY
Dispersal mechanisms
The rapid dissemination owes to vegetative
propagation by random fragmentation, and by
specialized propagules formed by detached
ramuli. The propagules/fragments may be
dispersed by currents or by anthropogenic means
(vessels, nets, aquaculture products).
Reproduction
Sexual reproduction with a low production of planozygotes. Vegetative reproduction happens either after
ramification and development of stolons, or after natural or anthropogenic fragmentation by man, hydrodynamic
forces, or marine animals like sea urchins and crabs. The fragmentation may occur in any part of the alga.
Another method is the specific fragmentation process involving detachment of ramuli which detach themselves
from the fronds and form propagules consisting of fine coenocytic chlorophyllous filaments.
Known predators/herbivores
Grazing fish and invertebrates.
Resistant stages (seeds, spores etc.)
None.
HABITAT
Native (EUNIS code)
A3: Sublittoral rock and other hard substrata, A4: Sublittoral sediments. Marine sublittoral hard and soft.
Habitat occupied in invaded range (EUNIS code)
A3: Sublittoral rock and other hard substrata, A4: Sublittoral sediments. Marine, soft and hard bottoms, polluted
and unpolluted, intertidal to 70 m.
Habitat requirements
The growth rate is closely correlated to the seawater temperature: in winter, the growth rate decreases rapidly
with the seasonal drop in the seawater temperature. The alga probably survives the winter seawater temperatures

Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea
Photo: Enric Ballesteros
of the north-western Mediterranean Sea (10.5C) in the form of zygotes and/or small fragments (rhizoids,
stolons, propagules). In southern localities, like Sicily, no significant winter regression have been observed.
DISTRIBUTION
Native range
Southwest coast of western Australia.
Known Introduced Range
Mediterranean: from Spain to Turkey; Atlantic: Canary Islands.
Trend
First record in the Mediterranean in the early 1990s in Libya. It was soon found in many other locations. At
present extensive populations are found along much of the Mediterranean coastline (Albania, Balearic Islands,
Corsica, Crete, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Sardinia, Spain, Turkey, Libya).
MAP (European distribution)

Legend

Known in country

Known in CGRS square

Known in sea
INTRODUCTION PATHWAY
Aquarium trade and shipping.
IMPACT
Ecosystem Impact
It is known to attain total coverage in certain areas within six months of entry, its fast growing stolons allowing
it to overgrow other macroalgae, mainly turf and encrusting species, and to curtail species number, percent cover
and diversity of the macroalgal community. This feat is achieved even in highly diverse, native macroalgal
assemblages with dense coverage. Off Cyprus, where the alga was first sighted in 1991, it replaced the dominant
P. oceanica community within six years. The drastic change in the composition of the phytobenthos brought
about a modification of the macrobenthos: a proliferation of polychaetes, bivalves and echinoderms and a
reduction in the numbers of gastropods and crustaceans, and though the total number of species increased, it was
mainly due to the greater number of polychaete species. A study of meiofauna in a dead matte of P. oceanica
invaded by C. racemosa var. cylindracea revealed an increase in meiofaunal average density but a significant
decrease in diversity and profound change in the crustacean assemblage, where harpacticoid copepods proliferate
at the expense of ostracods, cumaceans, isopods, amphipods and tanaidaceans.
Health and Social Impact
Unknown.
Economic Impact
It impacts fisheries by the obstruction of fishing nets by the uprooted alga.
MANAGEMENT
Prevention
Unknown.
Mechanical
Covering colonies with black PVC plastic; manual removal by scuba divers or by suction pump were ineffective.
Chemical
Injecting liquid or solid chlorine or coarse sea salt to sealed off areas was tried. Off the Montenegrin coast
copper-sulphate solution and lime were injected under the PVC foil with no success.
Biological
Unknown.
REFERENCES
Piazzi L, Ceccherelli G, Cinelli F (2001) Threat to macroalgal diversity: effects of the introduced alga Caulerpa
racemosa in the Mediterranean. Marine Ecology Progress Series 210:149-159
Verlaque M, Afonso-Carrillo J, Candelaria Gil-Rodrguez M, Durand C, Boudouresque CF, Le Parco Y (2004)
Blitzkrieg in a marine invasion: Caulerpla racemosa var. cylindracea (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta) reaches the
Canary Islands (north-east Atlantic). Biological Invasions 6:269-281
Verlaque M, Durand C, Huisman JM, Boudouresque CF, Le Parco Y (2003) On the identity and origin of the
Mediterranean invasive Caulerpa racemosa (Caulerpales, Chlorophyta). European Journal of Phycology 38:325-
339
OTHER REFERENCES
Argyrou M, Demetropoulous M, Hadjichristophorou M (1999) The impact of Caulerpa racemosa on the
macrobenthic communities in the coastal waters of Cyprus. Proceedings of the workshop on invasive Caulerpa
species in the Mediterranean, Heraklion, Crete, Greece. MAP technical report series 125:139-158
Capiomont A, Breugnot E, den Haan M, Meinesz A (2005) Phenology of a deep-water population of Caulerpa
racemosa var. cylindracea in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. Botanica Marina 48(1):80-83
Ceccherelli G, Piazzi L (2005) Exploring the success of manual eradication of Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea
(Caulerpales, Chlorophyta): the effect of habitat. Cryptogamie Algologie 26:319-328
Giaccone G, Di Martino V (1995) Le vegetazione a Caulerpa racemosa (ForsskL) J. Agardh nella Baia di S.
Panagia (Sicilia Sud-Orientale). Bollettino della Accaddemia Gioenia di Scienze Naturali in Catania 28:59-73
Piazzi L, Balata D, Cecchi E, Cinelli F (2003) Co-occurrence of Caulerpa taxifolia and C. racemosa in the
Mediterranean Sea: interspecific interactions and influence on native macroalgal assemblages. Cryptogamie
Algologie 24:233-243
Piazzi L, Meinesz A, Verlaque M, Aali B, Antolic B, Argyrou M, Baltana D, Ballesteros E, Calvo S, Cinelli F,
Cirik S, Cossu A, d'Archino R, Djellouli AS, Javel F, Lanfranco E, Mifsud C, Pala D, Panayotidis P, Peirano A,
Pergent G, Petrocelli A, Ruitton S, Zuljevic A, Ceccherelli G (2005) Invasion of Caulerpa racemosa var.
cylindracea (Caulerpales, Chlorophyta) in the Mediterranean Sea: an assessment of the spread. Cryptogamie,
Algologie 26:189-202
Renoncourt L, Meinesz A (2002) Formation of propagules on an invasive strain of Caulerpa racemosa
(Chlorophyta) in the Mediterranean Sea. Phycologia 41:533-535
Ruitton S, Verlaque M, Boudouresque C-F (2005) Seasonal changes of the introduced Caulerpa racemosa var.
cylindracea (Caulerpales, Chlorophyta) at the northwest limit of its Mediterranean range. Aquatic Botany
82(1):55-70

Author: B. S. Galil
Date Last Modified: November 6
th
, 2006