Caulerpa taxifolia Moreton Bay, QLD

March 27, 2002
From: Jan Drexel

Dear Bill,
I'm a student from Germany and I'm interested into the question about possible control agents for Caulerpa taxifolia in Moreton Bay, Australia, off Brisbane. There the Caulerpa taxifolia alga occurs, but apparently without taking over. There seem to be some controlling factors, e.g competitors or grazers. Couldn't this be interesting for the problem we have in Europe?
Regards,
Jan Drexel

jandrexel@hotmail.com

Drexel, J., 2002 (Mar 27) Caulerpa taxifolia Moreton Bay, QLD. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/6526

Dear Jan,
At the risk of getting a bit away from sea slugs, my understanding is that the Caulerpa taxifolia in Moreton Bay is a naturally occurring population and so is in balance with its environment, while the population which is causing problems in the Mediterranean and elsewhere, is a genetically altered 'clone' which 'evolved' in aquarium conditions, that tolerates temperate waters, breeds fast, and seems to have no natural predators, or at least no predators which affect its growth. I don't know if we know what controls the natural populations of C. taxifolia but I guess like most natural populations it will be a complex mixture of biological and physical factors. The way the Mediterranean clone form is acting suggests that natural populations aren't likely to give us many clues on how it can be controlled - but I am not a plant ecologist and would prefer participants at the recent conference Cynthia Trowbridge attended in San Diego, to comment.

Here is an interesting note:
At the Australasian Society for Phycology and Aquatic Botany Conference at Heron Island, North Queensland, September 2001, evidence was presented showing that Caulerpa taxifolia occurs naturally in tropical and subtropical Australia, with records going back 100 years. One poster by researchers from CSIRO and AIMS reported on genetic research that showed that at least two of the recent 'invasions' in southeastern Australia were most likely to have originated from populations living on the Great Barrier Reef and Moreton Bay in southern Queensland. This is not to say that the 'rogue' algae in the Mediterranean is not a real threat, but it does suggest that the temperate 'invasions' in south-eastern Australia may not be comparable.

• Schaffelke, B., Murphy, N. & Uthicke, S. (2001) Caulerpa taxifolia in Australia - using genetic tools to explore sources of putative introductions. Poster Presentation: Australasian Society for Phycology and Aquatic Botany Conference, Heron Island, North Queensland, September 2001
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2002 (Mar 27). Comment on Caulerpa taxifolia Moreton Bay, QLD by Jan Drexel. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/6526

Factsheet

Caulerpa taxifolia in Australia

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