Moussa et al. 2015; Hassoun et al. 2014, 2015, 2016a, b, 2018a, b; Salhi et al. 2016,
2018). The Chafarinas Islands are less than 3 km far from the Moroccan coast near
the Argelian frontier. The first study of the seaweeds from the Chafarinas Islands was
provided by Conde (1984), with additions by Navarro and Gallardo (1989),
González and Conde (1994), Flores-Moya and Conde (1998), Altamirano (1999),
and Altamirano et al. (2010). Recently González García et al. (2017) have published
the first algal catalog of Spanish rocks on the Moroccan coast (Vélez de la Gomera
and islets of Alhucemas).
The Alboran Island marine benthic flora was surveyed by Soto and Conde (1993),
Rindi and Cinelli (1995), Conde et al. (1998), Conde and Flores-Moya (2000), and
Ballesteros and Pinedo (2004) and compiled by Templado et al. (2006).
The early floristic studies in the Alboran Sea (especially, on the north shores)
already showed the very remarkable presence of Atlantic taxa. This is due to special
oceanographic conditions in the Alboran Sea. The negative water balance in the
Mediterranean Sea (i.e., the loss of water by evaporation is higher than the inputs by
precipitation and rivers) is compensated by a permanent current flowing from the
Atlantic Ocean into the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar. Thus, the
salinity in the Mediterranean Sea is higher than that at the same latitude in the
neighboring Atlantic Ocean, but it does not increase further because a high-salinity
deep water current flows from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. The surface current
of Atlantic water flows close to the shores of the Iberian Peninsula and then turns
around, like an anticyclone, in the Western Alboran Sea. Simultaneously, upwelling
of cold, deep water close to the shores balances the offshore accumulation of water
by the action of the anticyclone (Lacombe and Tchernia 1972). Qualitative and
quantitative biogeographical studies focused on benthic marine flora have reinforced
the hypothesis that the Alboran Sea is notably enriched with taxa from the Atlanticboreal region (Conde 1984; Conde and Seoane 1982; González-García and Conde
1993; Báez et al. 2004a, b), and recently a biogeographical subregion (from the Strait
of Gibraltar to Punta Calaburras) has been recognized based on the oceanographic
conditions in the northern Mediterranean-Atlantic transition zone (Bermejo et al.
2015). Indications of this singularity are that the Alboran Sea is the distribution limit
of the Atlantic-boreal Fucus guiryi and of Mediterranean species such as the seagrass
Posidonia oceanica and the paleoendemic Rissoella verruculosa (Báez et al.
2004a, b). This Atlantic-Mediterranean boundary is located at the Punta de
Calaburras on the Iberian Peninsula (Conde and Seoane 1982; Conde 1989) and at
the Cabo de Tres Forcas on the Moroccan coast of the Alboran Sea (González-García
and Conde 1993).
While the present knowledge of the flora could be considered to be almost
complete on the north shores, more work is needed on the Moroccan coasts, such
as the research carried out by Moroccan phycologists in the last decade. Another gap
in our knowledge of the benthic marine flora from the Alboran Sea concerns
functional aspects of populations and communities of seaweeds and seagrasses. A
first synthetic approach focused on the main marine vegetation formations on
Andalusia shores (including seagrasses, deep-water kelp forests, Cystoseira spp.
and Asparagopsis armata forests, maerl bottoms, and Caulerpa prolifera beads) was
252
A. Flores-Moya et al.
2018). The Chafarinas Islands are less than 3 km far from the Moroccan coast near
the Argelian frontier. The first study of the seaweeds from the Chafarinas Islands was
provided by Conde (1984), with additions by Navarro and Gallardo (1989),
González and Conde (1994), Flores-Moya and Conde (1998), Altamirano (1999),
and Altamirano et al. (2010). Recently González García et al. (2017) have published
the first algal catalog of Spanish rocks on the Moroccan coast (Vélez de la Gomera
and islets of Alhucemas).
The Alboran Island marine benthic flora was surveyed by Soto and Conde (1993),
Rindi and Cinelli (1995), Conde et al. (1998), Conde and Flores-Moya (2000), and
Ballesteros and Pinedo (2004) and compiled by Templado et al. (2006).
The early floristic studies in the Alboran Sea (especially, on the north shores)
already showed the very remarkable presence of Atlantic taxa. This is due to special
oceanographic conditions in the Alboran Sea. The negative water balance in the
Mediterranean Sea (i.e., the loss of water by evaporation is higher than the inputs by
precipitation and rivers) is compensated by a permanent current flowing from the
Atlantic Ocean into the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar. Thus, the
salinity in the Mediterranean Sea is higher than that at the same latitude in the
neighboring Atlantic Ocean, but it does not increase further because a high-salinity
deep water current flows from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. The surface current
of Atlantic water flows close to the shores of the Iberian Peninsula and then turns
around, like an anticyclone, in the Western Alboran Sea. Simultaneously, upwelling
of cold, deep water close to the shores balances the offshore accumulation of water
by the action of the anticyclone (Lacombe and Tchernia 1972). Qualitative and
quantitative biogeographical studies focused on benthic marine flora have reinforced
the hypothesis that the Alboran Sea is notably enriched with taxa from the Atlanticboreal region (Conde 1984; Conde and Seoane 1982; González-García and Conde
1993; Báez et al. 2004a, b), and recently a biogeographical subregion (from the Strait
of Gibraltar to Punta Calaburras) has been recognized based on the oceanographic
conditions in the northern Mediterranean-Atlantic transition zone (Bermejo et al.
2015). Indications of this singularity are that the Alboran Sea is the distribution limit
of the Atlantic-boreal Fucus guiryi and of Mediterranean species such as the seagrass
Posidonia oceanica and the paleoendemic Rissoella verruculosa (Báez et al.
2004a, b). This Atlantic-Mediterranean boundary is located at the Punta de
Calaburras on the Iberian Peninsula (Conde and Seoane 1982; Conde 1989) and at
the Cabo de Tres Forcas on the Moroccan coast of the Alboran Sea (González-García
and Conde 1993).
While the present knowledge of the flora could be considered to be almost
complete on the north shores, more work is needed on the Moroccan coasts, such
as the research carried out by Moroccan phycologists in the last decade. Another gap
in our knowledge of the benthic marine flora from the Alboran Sea concerns
functional aspects of populations and communities of seaweeds and seagrasses. A
first synthetic approach focused on the main marine vegetation formations on
Andalusia shores (including seagrasses, deep-water kelp forests, Cystoseira spp.
and Asparagopsis armata forests, maerl bottoms, and Caulerpa prolifera beads) was
252
A. Flores-Moya et al.