Invasion
Invasion Description
1st Record: GA/Wassaw Sound (2009, Byers et al. 2012, 4 sites, 31.9260 , 80.9806 to 31.9633 , 81.0140 )
Geographic Extent
GA/Wassaw Sound (2009, Byers et al. 2012, 4 sites, 31.9260 , 80.9806 to 31.9633 , 81.0140 ); GA/Wilmington River and Wassaw Sound (Wright et al. 2014).
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Alternate | Hull Fouling |
| Alternate | Natural Dispersal |
Regional Impacts
| Ecological Impact | Habitat Change | |
| Agarophyton vermiculophyllum created extensive seaweed habitat in Charleston Harbor, Hilton Head, and the Savannah River Delta, by attaching the tubes of the polychaete Diopatra cuprea, providing habitat for invertebrate fauna, especially amphipods and snails (Byers et al. 2012). The seaweed provided habitat for very high densities of the amphipod in the Wilmington River and Wassaw Sound, Georgia. Little G. vermiculophylla was consumed by the amphipods, but the seaweed provided a refuge from predators and from desiccation at low tide (Wright et al. 2014). The seaweed provided habitat for very high densities of the amphipod Gammarus mucronatus in the Wilmington River and Wassaw Sound, Georgia. Little G. vermiculophylla was consumed by the amphipods, but the seaweed provided a refuge from predators and from desiccation at low tide (Wright et al. 2014). | ||