Studies of Cystoseira assemblages in Northern Atlantic Iberia

Abstract

The Iberian Peninsula contains 24 specific and infraespecific taxa of the genus Cystoseira, but only 6 inhabit in Northern Iberia: C. baccata, C. foeniculacea, C. humilis var. myriophylloides, C. nodicaulis, C. tamariscifolia, and C. usneoides. The Cystoseira assemblages exhibit a complex structure and stratification that allows the presence of a large associate biota and a rich epiphytic flora. Although in the Mediterranean Sea several species have been analyzed in depth, the Atlantic ones are less studied. A revision of the literature (1931-2014) and grey information was made to know the diversity of the North Atlantic Iberian Cystoseira assemblages. The community of C. baccata harbors the biggest number of species (215), followed by C. tamariscifolia (162) and C. usneoides (126), whereas the community with fewest species was the C. foeniculacea one (34). More than 70 species were present in the majority of the Cystoseira assemblages. In this article, are revised also environmental issues in the Cystoseira assemblages, as pollution and anthropogenic pressures or disturbances that cause regression in their communities, and effects of biological invasions by non-native species. As a conclusion, it will necessary to study the Cystoseira assemblage in depth, starting by research of C. baccata along Northern Iberia, as it is an exclusive and widely distributed Atlantic species with very scarce information concerning its role in structuring the communities.