Are Caulerpa species able to settle and develop on rhodolith beds? The case study of Marine Protected Area “Capo Carbonara” Sarah Caronni University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy Fabrizio Atzori Marine Protected Area of capo carbonara, Italy Sandra Citterio University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy Valentina Bracchi University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy Nicoletta Cadoni Marine Protected Area of Capo Carbonara, Italy Rodolfo Gentili University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy Lara Quaglini University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy Daniela Basso University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy This is a section of Ninth International Symposium “Monitoring of Mediterranean Coastal Areas: Problems and Measurement Techniques”(DOI: 10.36253/979-12-215-0030-1) by Laura Bonora, Donatella Carboni, Matteo De Vincenzi, Giorgio Matteucci Firenze University Press Firenze 2022 https://doi.org/10.36253/979-12-215-0030-1.54

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The two green algae Caulerpa taxifolia (M.Vahl) C. Agardh and Caulerpa cylindracea Sonder, (Chlorophyta; Bryopsidales) are among the most invasive alien macroalgae in the Mediterranean Sea. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and abundance of the three species on deep rhodolith bed of the Capo Carbonara Marine Protected Area MPA (Sardinia). The analysis of the collected data collected highlighted significant differences in the percent cover of the substratum among sampling sites and species with a significant presence of C. cylindracea at Santa Caterina slope

 Rhodoliths Invasive species Caulerpa Macroalgae

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