Courtesy / Uminho
Scientists from two Portuguese universities made the first local Wakame mapping. Salt makes a difference.
Wakame. It may seem a very distant name, but actually enters the food routine of many Portuguese.
It is a alga, One of the 100 most invasive species in the world. Rich in fiber, proteins, vitamins and minerals, especially iodine and calcium; It is used to prevent premature aging, cardiovascular disease and weight loss.
And it is also common in dishes of sushi and in the feeding of east Asian – Where the seaweed is originally.
The algae was analyzed, throughout the North Coast of Portugal, by a team from the universities of Minho and Porto – who elaborated the First Local Mapping the soup.
This seaweed was introduced in France for commercial cultivation, but escaped to nature. It was also introduced in Portugal by the ballast of the ships, being registered for the first time in Portugal for over 20 years.
In this, the scientists of the two Portuguese universities noted that the geographical distribution of wakame algae depends significantly on sal, of salinity: is common in saltwater marinas (Povoa de Varzim and Leça da Palmeira), but It was not found in the marinas of estuarieswhere salinity is smaller.
Nos habitats natural, the algae emerged temporarily in three rock areas of Carry e Marine singing, but it disappeared after “Storms” of winter.
“This species has limited tolerance conditions such as exposure to curling, which restricts its spread to more exposed areas, but can continue to represent a threat in more protected environments”Says Marcos Rubal.
This seaweed has managed to replace the native algae S. Latissima in the marinas and then grow upon fixed mussels in artificial structures, while in natural habitats grew over the native G. baccata species.
The researchers also conducted experiences of removal of the invasive algae at Marina de VIANA DO CASTELOto realize how to mitigate these impacts.
The results were promising, read in a statement sent to the ZAP: they got the partial recolonization of Alga S. Latissima, indicating that reducing the presence of wakame contributes to the recovery of native species.
