Inventory and taxonomic diversity of macroalgae from the coast of Jalisco, Mexico

This study integrates an updated inventory based on previous and new information on the composition and distribution of the macroalgae of the Jalisco coast, obtained from three main sources: 1) Herbarium data, 2) Bibliographic information, and 3) Collection of specimens from different sites distributed along the coastline of this region performed between 2000 and 2018. All records were incorporated in 19 sites and included in a total of 263 species of three divisions, Chlorophyta (44 species), Ochrophyta (52) and Rhodophyta (167). The list of species was updated and ordered according to the registers of each site, including two new records: Solieferia filiformis and Piropya raulaguilarii. Also, a high ecological rarity (incidence) was documented with the 38 % of unique species (recorded only in one locality) and 21 % of duplicate species (in two sites). The Rhodophyta had the highest rarity (29 % unique and 13 % duplicate). The sampling effort was evaluated with species accumulation curves using non parametric estimators taking into consideration both the algae collected during the present research and all the historic records (herbarium and bibliographic data) from the intertidal, and the shallow and deeper subtidal environments of all sites. All curves tend to be asymptotic with a mean sampling efficiency of 70 %, compared to an expected maximum number of species of 475. A taxonomic distinctness analysis using records of presence-absence of all the species, allowed to recognize the contribution of each locality to the taxonomic diversity of the coast of Jalisco. The largest number of species was found in sites of the center and northern coastline: Chamela Bay (105), Tenacatita (86), Puerto Vallarta (84) and Careyes (71). Together, the southern sites (Tenacatita, La Manzanilla, El Tamarindo, Cuastecomates, Melaque and Barra de Navidad) had the larger contribution to all taxonomic categories, from species to orders; while only Puerto Vallarta in the north, and Chamela and Careyes in the center, had a good taxonomic representation. The contribution of the coast of Jalisco to the overall inventory of macroalgae species from the tropical Mexican Pacific is 69 %, which highlights the importance of this region to the diversity of macroalgae of Mexico.