Invasion
Invasion Description
None
Geographic Extent
Matheson Hammock/FL/Biscayne Bay (Conover and Reid 1975); Dade County/FL/Biscayne Bay (Conover and Reid 1975); Monroe County/FL/Card sound, north end (Conover and Reid 1975);
Vectors
Level | Vector |
---|---|
Probable | Hull Fouling |
Regional Impacts
Ecological Impact | Habitat Change | |
Extensive damage to roots of Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) was found with 80-100% of mangrove roots infested, and 60-100% of roots severed (Conover and Reid 1975). However, in experiments, R. mangle responds to boring activity by increasing the number of root endings in unparasitized roots, mostly those already buried in soil. Sphaeroma's boring activity could actually increase the stability of shorelines Simberloff et al. 1978; Ribi 1982). | ||