Invasion
Invasion Description
1st Record: Santa Catalina,San Nicolas, San Clemente Islands/CA/Pacfiic Ocean (1970, Norton 1981, Cohen 2005)
Geographic Extent
Santa Catalina Island/CA/Pacfiic Ocean (1970, Norton 1981, Cohen 2005); Pin Rock, Santa Catalina Island/CA/Pacfiic Ocean (2004, Maloney et al. 2006); Santa Catalina Island/CA/Avalon Harbor (2011, California Department of Fish and Wildlife 2014); Blue Cavern Onshore State Marine Conservation Area, Santa Catlaina Island/CA/Sotuhern California Bight (Looby and Ginsburg 2021)
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Alternate | Natural Dispersal |
| Alternate | None |
| Alternate | Hull Fouling |
Regional Impacts
| Ecological Impact | Competition | |
| Sargassum muticum colonized Giant Kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) beds on Bird Rock, off Catalina Island, after a die-off, possibly caused by high water temperatures during El Nino. Shading by Sargassum muticum probably inhibited recolonization by the kelp. After experimental removal, the kelp recolonized the cleared areas (Ambrose and Nelson 1982). Several years later, Giant Kelp did recolonize Bird Rock (Foster & Schiel 1992, cited by Engelen et al. 2015). | ||