Red Algae From Insular Environments in the Mexican Atlantic: Taxonomic Diversity, Conservation, and Biogeographic Affinities

One of the most representative groups of the Mexican insular environments is the red algae; although extensive information exists on the insular phycoflora of Mexico, there is no description of the distribution of the group's taxonomic diversity, and few studies address it from a conservation perspective or discuss its biogeographical affinities. In this study, we address these three aspects of red algae along the Mexican Atlantic coast. We recorded 345 species classified into 22 orders, 50 families, and 148 genera, all distributed in 32 insular structures. Cozumel Island, Mujeres Island, and Alacranes reef were the insular structures with the highest taxonomic diversity. The low values of floristic similarity could be related to the high habitat heterogeneity characteristic of the area. Our complementarity values indicate that protecting Cozumel Island and Anegada de Adentro reef would conserve approximately 98% of the insular red algae present in the Mexican Atlantic. 70% of the recorded species have a disjunct distribution range, while the remaining 30% have a restricted distribution range. Continued conservation efforts for these organisms are recommended, with the objective of supporting their eventual incorporation into Mexican environmental protection frameworks.