A review of the diversity and impact of invasive non-native species in tropical marine ecosystems

Abstract

Tropical marine ecosystems are biologically diverse and economically invaluable. However, they are severely threatened from impacts associated with climate change coupled with localized and regional stressors, such as pollution and overfishing. Non-native species (sometimes referred to as ‘alien’ species) are another major threat facing these ecosystems, although rarely discussed and overshadowed by the other stressors mentioned above. NNS can be introduced accidentally (for example via shipping activities) and/or sometimes intentionally (for aquaculture or by hobbyists). Understanding the extent of the impacts NNS have on native flora and fauna often remains challenging, along with ascertaining when the species in question actually became ‘invasive’. Here we review the status of this threat across key tropical marine ecosystems such as coral reefs, algae meadows, mangroves, and seagrass beds. We aim to provide a baseline of where invasive NNS can be found, when they are thought to have been introduced and what impact they are thought to be having on the native ecosystems they now inhabit. In the appended material we provide a comprehensive list of NNS covering key groups such as macroalgae, sponges, seagrasses and mangroves, anthozoans, bryozoans, ascidians, fishes, and crustaceans.

Assessing the seagrasses meadows status and condition: A case study of Wori Seagrass Meadows, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

“…Climate change causes changes in the seagrass population and community structure (Pergent et al 2014;Kendrick et al 2019;Salimi et al 2021). Even though the further examination is needed on the study sites, climate change has significant impacts on seagrass meadows globally, including on our study sites.…”

Vetores de mudança diretos e indiretos que afetam a introdução, o estabelecimento e a disseminação de espécies exóticas invasoras

“…Navios de carga, plataformas de petróleo, docas flutuantes, bóias e até mesmo embarcações recreativas têm sido responsáveis pelo transporte de espécies para regiões aonde não chegariam por meio da dispersão natural (Ojaveer et al 2018). Na costa brasileira, os tráfegos internacionais e locais de embarcações já levaram à introdução e dispersão de uma grande variedade de organismos marinhos como algas, animais vertebrados, invertebrados e microrganismos (Ferreira et al 2009, Farrapeira et al 2011, Teixeira & Creed 2020, Salimi et al 2021. Um exemplo é o coral invasor Tubastraea spp., popularmente conhecido como coral-sol, que foi introduzido na costa brasileira por plataformas de petróleo no final da década de 1980 (Castro & Pires 2001, Creed et al 2017.…”

Examining the effectiveness of bored pile coral for coral rehabilitation

“…The invasion of fouling organisms such as bryozoans and ascidians will naturally be attached to any natural or man-made structures (Salimi et al 2021). Algae growth on the BPC influences the survival of attached coral fragments due to competition with algae and other competitors (i.e., sponges, bryozoans, tunicates) (Meesters et al 2015).…”