Invasion of aquarium origin soft corals on a tropical rocky reef in the southwest Atlantic, Brazil. (May 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mantelatto, Marcelo Checoli; Silva, Amanda Guilherme da; Louzada, Tayana dos Santos; McFadden, Catherine S.; Creed, Joel Christopher
• Is Part Of: Marine pollution bulletin. Volume 130(2018)
• Page Start: 84
• Page End: 94
• Publication Date: 2018-05
• Subjects: Biological invasion -- Clavularia -- Community structure -- Non-indigenous species -- Rio de Janeiro -- Sansibia; Marine pollution -- Periodicals; Marine Biology -- Periodicals; Water Pollution -- Periodicals; Mer -- Pollution -- Périodiques; Publications périodiques; Pollution des mers; Lutte antipollution; Electronic journals; 363.7394
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.03.014
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0025-326X

Abstract

Abstract: Non-indigenous species (NIS) can cause substantial change in ecosystems and as marine invasives they can become a major threat to coastal and subtidal habitats. In September 2017 previously unknown and apparently NIS soft corals were detected on a shallow subtidal tropical rocky reef at Ilha Grande Bay, southeast Brazil. The present study aims to identify the species, quantify their distribution, abundance, and their interactions with native species. The most abundant NIS belonged to the recently described genus Sansibia (family Xeniidae) and the less common species was identified as Clavularia cf. viridis (family Clavulariidae). They were found along 170 m of shoreline at all depths where hard substrate was available. Sansibia sp. dominated deeper communities, associated positively with some macroalgal and negatively with the zoantharian Palythoa caribaeorum, which probably provided greater biotic resistance to invasion. Both species are of Indo-Pacific origin and typical of those ornamentals found in the aquarium trade. Graphical abstract: Highlights: Two soft corals, Clavularia cf. viridis and Sansibia sp. invade Brazil. Indo-Pacific origin and typical of ornamentals found in the aquarium trade. Have dominated native benthic communities locally. The native mat forming zoanthid Palythoa caribaeorum provides some biotic resistance.