Spatiotemporal patterns of phenology of the alien Phaeophyceae Sargassum muticum on the Atlantic coast of Morocco |
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Samir El Atouani, Zahira Belattmania, Soukaina Kaidi, Aschwin H. Engelen, Ester A. Serrão, Abdellatif Chaouti, Abdeltif Reani, Brahim Sabour |
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The present study focused on the dynamics of the phenology and life cycle of the Phaeophyceae invader Sargassum muticum at three sites on the Atlantic coast of Morocco over a period of two years (2013 and 2014). The results showed that S. muticum
has two distinct growth phases; one with slower growth in winter
followed by one with faster growth in spring-early summer, when the
species exhibited high elongation and branching activities with thalli
length ranging from 1 to more than 5 m depending on the study site. The
site S1, with a rocky substratum covered by submerged sands, promotes
thalli elongation, with maximum lengths of 643.33±11.10 cm recorded in
July. At the rocky sites (S2 and S3), the maximum length of the seaweed
depends on the pools’ depth. Although the elongation of thalli is
enhanced by the water body depth, the settlements’ density (5-48 ind. m-2)
seems to be mainly related to the nature of the substrate. The maturity
index progressively increases from spring to early summer, when it
reaches the highest values. S. muticum seems to be more abundant
and more easily acclimated in shallow rockpools (sufficiently lighted
and semi-exposed to wave action at the mid and lower tidal levels) than
in protected sandy bottom sites with low hydrodynamic forces. |
Keywords: population dynamics; Invasive macroalga; Sargassum muticum; Moroccan coastline |
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Sci. Mar. 85(2) : 103-111 |
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