Invasion
Invasion Description
1st Record: Ilha dos Macacos, Ilha Grande, Brazil; Abraãozinho, Ilha Grande/Rio de Janeiro State //Brazil/Atlantic Ocean (2000. Figueira de Paula and Joel Christopher Creed 2004)
Geographic Extent
Sao Paulo State/Brazil/Atlantic Ocean (Carlos-Junior et al. 2015); Ilha dos Macacos, Ilha Grande, Brazil; Abraãozinho, Ilha Grande/Rio de Janeiro State //Brazil/Atlantic Ocean (2000. Figueira de Paula and Joel Christopher Creed 2004)Rio de Janeiro State/Brazil/Atlantic Ocean (Carlos-Junior et al. 2015)
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Alternate | Hull Fouling |
| Alternate | Ballast Water |
Regional Impacts
| Ecological Impact | Competition | |
On Ilha Grande, Brazil, increases in the cover of Tubastraea spp. was associated with a decrease in the diversity of the benthic community on rocky reefs, through competition for space (Lages et al. 2011). | ||
| Ecological Impact | Food/Prey | |
Tubastraea tagusensis and T. coccinea both produce substances which reduce feeding by generalist fish species, and also inhibited the growth of native algae (Lages et al. 2010). | ||
| Ecological Impact | Habitat Change | |
High densities of Tubastraea spp. on Brazilian rocky reefs are associated with a decrease in the abundance of mobile invertebrates, compared to diverse communtiies with macoralgae and native fouling invertebrates (Silva et al. 2019). | ||
| Economic Impact | Ecosystem Services | |
In Brazil, invasions of Tubastraea spp. are perceived as negatively affecting the biodiversity, visual quality, and fisheries of rocky reefs and coral reefs of coastal waters (Dutra et al. 2023). Consequently, there's been efforts to monitor its distribution and efforts at controlling it through local eradication (Creed et al. 2017; Dutra et al. 2023). Methods have included the use of fresh or low-salinity water (Moreira et al. 2014), wrapping colonies (Mantelatto et al. 2015), or use of sodium hypochlorite (Altvater et al. 2017). | ||