Marine seaweeds of the yucatan peninsula: Diversity, economic importance and conservation

The Mexican Caribbean and the Atlantic coast of Mexico have 3,294 km of coastline with diverse habitats and rich biota. Coastal ecosystems, unfortunately, are experiencing wide range of pressures due to siltation, eutrophication, coastal development and climate change. Those species that adapt to these pressures will expand their living boundaries while others may fade away. Accordingly, the study of coastal biodiversity is of great concern globally and constitutes an important element of global change research. Peninsula of Yucatan has 1,940 km of coastline, reportedly with rich diversity of seaweeds. Previously published accounts on seaweed biodiversity were mainly in the form of checklists. The present study is a timely publication based wholly on primary data. Data were collected through extensive and systematic field studies conducted by the authors during different seasons over an eleven years period since 2004 to 2014, also we checked herbarium’s specimens that are housed in the herbarium ENCB. Analysis of the information showed that Rhodophyta has the greatest diversity with 317 species; Chlorophyta has 180; Phaeophyceae 70 and finally Cyanobacteria with 38 species. One of the groups best represented in the study area is the Order Corallinales with two families and 43 species, these organisms are of major ecological importance in the reefs of the Peninsula. Three species are new records from Mexican Caribbean, Centroceras hyalacanthum, Metapeyssonnelia tangerina and Sarcodiotheca divaricate, and sixteen species are new records for the study area The importance of epiphytic algae in the study area is discussed as well as the use of molecular markers in order to solve taxonomic problems of selected genera of algae. The floristic list includes data on distribution, tidal level and habitat. On the other hand Quintana Roo is the state that has the greatest diversity of marine algae in the Gulf of Mexico and Mexican Caribbean’s shores with 551 species. Topics on economic importance and extraction of bioactive substances are discussed, as well as suggestions on conservation of seaweeds from Yucatan Peninsula. Finally, several coastal towns in the Yucatan Peninsula are being impacted by natural events such as hurricanes as well as urban; tourism and industrial development, so it is important continue studies that allow us to characterize the changes that populations of seaweeds are undergoing.