RT Journal Article
T1 Multiple introduction events expand the range of the invasive brown alga Rugulopteryx okamurae to northern Spain
A1 Díaz Tapia, Pilar
A1 Alvite, Nerea
A1 Bañón, Rafael
A1 Barreiro, Rodolfo
A1 Barrientos, Sara
A1 Bustamante, María
A1 Carrasco, Sara
A1 Cremades, Javier
A1 Iglesias, Silvia
A1 López Rodríguez, María del Carmen
A1 Muguerza, Nahiara
A1 Piñeiro-Corbeira, Cristina
A1 Quintano, Endika
A1 Tajadura, F. Javier
A1 Díez, Isabel
K1 Basque Country
K1 Galicia
K1 Introduction vectors
K1 Invasion
K1 Non-indigenous species
AB The brown alga Rugulopteryx okamurae is one of the most recent and aggressive marine invaders known, with a non-native range that spans from the western Mediterranean to the southern Iberian Peninsula, and the European Macaronesian archipelagos. Here, we provide the first record of its presence at three disjunct areas from northern Spain, supported by morphological and molecular evidence. Rugulopteryx okamurae was discovered in the port of Bilbao in the northeastern Atlantic of Spain, more than 1200 km away from the nearest invaded location previously known. It was also found at two separate areas in northwestern Spain: San Amaro, a small inlet at the entrance of the port of A Coruña, and Monteferro-Playa América, a site close to the port of Vigo. In two areas, R. okamurae was found to cover up to 100 % of the bottom, suggesting that it may behave as an aggressive invader in northern Spain. Our findings confirm the propensity of R. okamurae for long-distance dispersal and reveal that this invader is expanding its range northwards along the European Atlantic coast.
PB Elsevier
SN 0304-3770
YR 2024
FD 2024-10-24
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/39842
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/39842
LA eng
NO Díaz-Tapia, P., Alvite, N., Bañón, R., Barreiro, R., Barrientos, S., Bustamante, M., Carrasco, S., Cremades, J., Iglesias, S., López Rodríguez, M. d. C., Muguerza, N., Piñeiro-Corbeira, C., Quintano, E., Javier Tajadura, F., & Díez, I. (2025). Multiple introduction events expand the range of the invasive brown alga rugulopteryx okamurae to northern spain. Aquatic Botany, 19610.1016/j.aquabot.2024.103830
NO Bioaplic Research Group is grateful to Xunta de Galicia for the financial support provided by the recognition as a Competitive Reference Group (ED431C 2023/19, GI-1809). EQ is grateful to The Port Authority of Bilbao for the financial support provided to develop the “Plan de Vigilancia Biológica del Puerto de Bilbao”. BioCost Research Group acknowledges funding from grant ED431B 2024/14 (“Axudas para a consolidación e estructuración de unidades de investigación competitivas do SUG”, Xunta de Galicia). SB received financial support from Xunta de Galicia “Axudas de apoio á etapa de formación posdoutoral” (grant ED481B_068). CPC received financial support from Xunta de Galicia “Axudas de apoio á etapa de formación posdoutoral” (grant ED481B-2021/095) and Xunta de Galicia “Axudas para completar á etapa de formación posdoutoral” (grant ED481D-2024–021).
DS Minerva
RD 22 abr 2026