The effects of an invasive soft coral on the structure of native benthic communities. (January 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lolis, Lucas Assumpção; Miranda, Ricardo J.; Barros, Francisco
• Is Part Of: Marine environmental research. Volume 183(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-01
• Subjects: Bioinvasion -- Xeniidae -- Exotic species -- Species richness -- Blue-clove polyps -- Reef ecology -- Brazil; Marine pollution -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Marine ecology -- Periodicals; Mer -- Pollution -- Aspect de l'environnement -- Périodiques; Écologie marine -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 577.705
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105802
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0141-1136

Abstract

Abstract: Species invasion is a major threat to marine biodiversity and function; thus, studying the effects of recently reported exotic species is extremely important. Several soft coral species (Alcyonacea) have invaded the Atlantic Ocean but their effects are poorly known. Here, we investigated the effects of the invasive species Sarcothelia sp. (Alcyonacea, Xeniidae) on native benthic shallow reef communities in Brazil. We hypothesized that increasing Sarcothelia sp. abundance would be related to species richness decreases and native community structure changes. Multivariate analysis showed significant dissimilarity between invaded (high Sarcothelia sp. abundance) and non-invaded areas (high abundance of the octocoral Neospongodes atlantica and zoantharians). The invaded area showed less species composition variability (i.e., homogenization) than non-invaded ones. Within the invaded area we observed that Sarcothelia sp. abundance reduced species richness. The lowest native benthic richness (10 taxa) was observed in a transect with the highest invader cover, while the transect with the lowest Sarcothelia sp. cover presented 26 native taxa. These findings are likely related to the invasive novel functional traits, i.e., invader growth form and allelochemicals. A clear inverse abundance pattern between invasive Sarcothelia sp. and N. atlantica, indicated an intense competition between octocorals. Our study showed remarkable evidence of negative impacts of invasive soft corals on reef biodiversity. There is an urgent need for experiments evaluating changes in different ecological processes and to implement management actions. Highlights: The invasive soft coral species Sarcothelia sp. impacted and is spreading on tropical Atlantic shallow reefs The invaded sites showed different community structures from the non-invaded sites Native benthic richness was negatively related to the increasing abundance of the invasive Sarcothelia sp. Sites with the highest invader cover showed less variability in community composition