Macroepiphytes on Cystoseira Species (Phaeophyceae) on the Coast of Montenegro
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© by PSP Volume 23 – No 1. 2014 Fresenius Environmental Bulletin MACROEPIPHYTES ON CYSTOSEIRA SPECIES (PHAEOPHYCEAE) ON THE COAST OF MONTENEGRO Vesna Mačić1,* and Zorica Svirčev2 1 Institute of Marine Biology, University of Montenegro; Dobrota b.b.; 85330 Kotor, Montenegro 2 Department of Biology and Ecology; University of Novi Sad; Trg D. Obradovica 2; Novi Sad 21000; Serbia ABSTRACT tion stress during low tide [1, 3]. Although an epiphytic life style requires specific adaptations like fast growing to The genus Cystoseira considerably supports epiphytic a small body size, early sexual or asexual reproduction, a assemblages on their thallus, but studies on their epiphytic short life span, it is also the strategy by which different species are rare. From the nine Cystoseira taxa from the organisms can avoid competition for substrate [4]. In the coast of Montenegro, 46 species of epiphytes were col- Mediterranean Sea Cystoseira (Phaeophyceae) species lected. Similarities of epiphytic assemblages on different have a dominant role on rocky substrate of coastal zone host algae were analyzed, as well as correlation between and although there are many information about this algae, epiphytes and complexicity of thallus for host Cysto- studies on their epiphytic species are rare [3, 5-8]. Be- seira species. These are the first data for epiphytes as- cause of all that, the aim of this work was to provide more semblages on Cystoseira species from the Montenegrin details on epiphyte species on Cystoseira algae on the coast and further research is needed for providing better Montenegrin coast (Adriatic Sea) and to provide a better data base for future monitoring and evaluating of envi- data base for future monitoring and evaluation of the ronmental changes on the hard-bottom communities. marine ecosystems quality status. 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS KEYWORDS: The fieldwork was carried out on the rocky shore of epiphytes, Cystoseira, Adriatic Sea, macroalgae, Mediterranean the Montenegrin coast (Adriatic Sea) on 8 sites: Ora- hovac, Perast, Strp, Žanjice, Kočište, Budva, Bar and Port Milena (Fig. 1.). Sampling was done by SCUBA diving seasonally between autumn 2005 and spring 2007 (except winter). Samples were obtained by scraping off all the organisms from limestone substrate on the surface of 1. INTRODUCTION 25cm x 25cm on three depths (0.5m, 3m and 5m) and in three replicates. Few hours after collection samples were A rocky shore is one of the most complex and com- frozen and stored until processing in laboratory. In further pact habitats and one of the very specific characteristics analysis each Cystoseira plant was looked for the epi- is vertical zonation of sessile plants and animals [1]. phytes, subsequently epiphytes were separated from the Dominant macroalgae, usually constructors of the bio- host plant and identified to the lowest possible taxonomic cenosis, occupy extensive areas of the rocky substrate, level using a Stereomicroscope Sigma Trino and manuals while many smaller algae species grow as epibionts. Epi- for identification. All samples of host algae and epiphytes phytes play an important role in marine biocenosis con- are preserved in 10% formalin seawater and deposited in tributing to primary productivity, but they also have an the collection of the Institute of marine biology, Kotor, important role in many other interactions with host algal University of Montenegro. species and with other species of communities. Epiphytes act as a barrier to light penetration and nutrient availabil- Statistic analysis and graphics were made using Primer ity, so the photosynthesis of hosts is reduced and could be 5.0 software [9]. The statistically significant correlation a cause of population regression [2, 3]. Only a few bene- coefficients between different epyphites and Cystoseira ficial effects for the host are known: epiphytes limit graz- hosts were designated for p<0.05. Dendogram for Cysto- ing by potential herbivores and seem to reduce desicca- seira thallus complexicity is calculated on the base of volume of talus, maximal length, length of axis and pri- * Corresponding author mary branches. 29 © by PSP Volume 23 – No 1. 2014 Fresenius Environmental Bulletin 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION From all sampling sites we collected nine species of Cystoseira, and they are: Cystoseira amentacea var. spi- cata (Ercegović) G. Giaccone in T. Gallardo, Cystoseira barbata (Stackhouse) C. Agardh, Cystoseira compressa (Esper) Gerloff & Nizamuddin, Cystoseira corniculata ssp. laxior Ercegović, Cystoseira foeniculacea (Linnaeus) Greville, Cystoseira spinosa Sauvageau, Cystoseira crinita (Desf.) Bory, Cystoseira crinitophylla Ercegović and Cystoseira humilis Kutz. On these species 46 species were determined as ephyphites, 27 species were algae while 19 species were fauna (Table 1). Between algae epiphytes the dominant group were Rhodophyta with 18 species while Heterokontophyta were represented with five species and Chlorophyta with four species. Presence of different number of epi-flora and epi- fauna species on different Cystoseira species is shown on Fig 2. For epi-floral species except dominance of Rhodo- FIGURE 1 - Studied localities on the coast of Montenegro (1. Port phyta group it is also characteristic that the highest num- Milena, 2. Bar, 3. Budva, 4. cape Kočište, 5. Žanjice, 6. Strp, 7. Perast and 8. Orahovac) ber of epiphytes has a C. barbata and C. amentacea, TABLE 1 - Macroepiphytes on different Cystoseira species Cystoseira host Macroepiphytes C. amentacea barbata C. C. compressa corniculata C. C. crinita C.crinitophylla C. humilis C. foeniculacea spinosa C. % frekvency Chlorophyta Chaetomorpha aerea (Dillwyn) Kutzing 1 11,11 Cladophora prolifera (Roth.) Kutzing 1 1 1 33,33 Enteromorpha intestinalis (L.) Link 1 11,11 Ulva lactuca Linnaeus 1 11,11 Heterocontophyta Cystosaeira barbata J. Ag. 1 11,11 Dictyota linearis (Ag.) Grev. 1 1 1 1 1 55,56 Elachista sp. Duby 1 11,11 Halopteris scoparia (L.) Sauvag. 1 11,11 Sphacelaria cirrosa (Roth) C.Ag. 1 1 1 1 1 55,56 Rhodophyta Amphiroa rigida Lamouroux 1 11,11 Bangia fuscopurpurea (Dillw.) Lyngb. 1 1 22,22 Botryocladia botryoides (Wulf.) Feldm. 1 1 1 33,33 Callithamnion corymbosum (Smith) Lyngbye 1 1 1 33,33 Ceramium ciliatum (J.Ellis) Ducluzeau 1 1 1 33,33 Corallina elongata Aresch 1 11,11 Falkenbergia rufolanosa (Harvey) F. Schmitz. 1 1 1 1 44,44 Gelidium latifolium (Grev.) Thur e Born 1 11,11 Haliptilon virgatum (Zanardini) Garbary & Johansen 1 1 1 33,33 Hydrolithon farinosum (Lamouroux) Penrose & Chamberlain 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 77,78 Hypnea musciformis (Wulf.) Lam. 1 1 1 1 44,44 Jania rubens var. rubens (l.) Lamouroux 1 1 22,22 Laurencia sp.Lam. 1 1 22,22 Liagora viscida (Forssk.) C.Ag. 1 11,11 Mesophyllum sp. Lemoine 1 1 22,22 Peyssonnelia rubra Decaisne 1 1 1 33,33 Rhodymenia ardissonei Feldm. 1 1 1 33,33 Womersleyella setacea (Hollenberg) R. E. Norris 1 1 1 33,33 30 © by PSP Volume 23 – No 1. 2014 Fresenius Environmental Bulletin Animal Balanus eburneus Gould 1 1 22,22 Cryptosula pallasiana Moll 1 1 1 1 44,44 Dexiospira pagenstecheri Quatrefages 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 100 Eunice vittata Delle Chiaje 1 1 22,22 Gourmya rupestris, Risso 1 1 1 1 1 1 66,67 Ircinia sp. Pallas 1 1 22,22 Lichenopora radiata, Audouin 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 77,78 Lineus geniculatus Delle Chiaje 1 1 22,22 Mytilus galloprovincialisLam. 1 1 22,22 Obelia geniculata L. 1 1 1 1 1 55,56 Ophiotrix fragilis Abild. 1 1 22,22 Plumaria setacea L. 1 1 1 1 44,44 Pomatoceros triqueter L. 1 1 1 1 44,44 Protula intestinum Sav. 1 1 22,22 Scrupocellaria reptans L. 1 1 22,22 Spongia officinalisL. 1 1 22,22 Gourmya vulgata Bruguiere 1 1 1 33,33 Bittium reticulatum da Costa 1 1 1 1 44,44 Calliostoma zizyphinus L. 1 11,11 25 20 epi-fauna 15 Rhodophyta 10 Heterokontophyta Chlorophyta 5 0 a a lla ilis at osa ul lacea n c hum u ni C.crinita C. .spi mentaceaC.barbat initophy a compressacor enic C . .cr o C. C C. C .f C FIGURE 2 - Presence of epiphytes on different Cystoseira host species following by C. spinosa and C. corniculata ssp. laxior. theory we can mention that C. amentacea and C. com- The smallest number of phyto-epiphytes was on C. humi- pressa in our study were collected always on the same lis but we should have in mind that in this study only two locations so, the important similarity of their epiphytes algae of this species were collected, so probably on the (correlation coefficient was r=0.45, for significance bigger sample of this Cystoseira „host“ could be found p<0.05) could be consequence of the same environmental more ephyphites. For other Cystoseira species quite small factors. Beside that the highest values of correlation coef- number of phyto-ephyphites was recorded: for C. foenicu- ficients were for the species of host collected on the same lacea 4, C. compressa 5 and C. crinita 5 species. locations, like: C. foeniculacea with C. humilis r=0.53 and C. foeniculacea with C. crinita r=0.49 (Table 2). Addi- C. spinosa and C. corniculata ssp. laxior, following tionally, for Hidrozoa on 3 Cystoseira species Faucci and by C. barbata, were with the highest diversity of epi- Boero [4] referred as the most important impact of abiotic faunal species and as it was for epi-floral species, C. hu- factors: sedimentation rate, nutrient levels, temperature milis was host species with the smallest number of epi- and especially water movement, while biological factors faunal epiphytes. such as the structure and surface of the host and competi- tion seem to be secondary. Belegratis et al. [3] reported different composition of epiphytic assemblages on different locations, while they Higher epiphytes biodiversity was expected on the could not find differences between different host Cysto- Cystoseira species characterised for the oligotrophyc areas seira species on the same locality.