Sun coral invasion of shallow rocky reefs: effects on mobile invertebrate assemblages in Southeastern Brazil

Silva, Rodrigo Pires da; Vinagre, Catarina; Kitahara, Marcelo V.; Acorsi, Isabela V.; Mizrahi, Damián; Flores, Augusto A. V.

doi:10.1007/s10530-018-1903-0

Cited by 25 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…In the Cabo Frio upwelling region (23°S), offshore wind-driven Ekman transport 69 is stronger during the summer, forced by persistent northeast winds, and may also limit onshore larval transport 70 , 71 . Although the southeastern coast of Brazil receives a small proportion of sun-coral larvae by oil platforms, the arrival of new invaders may facilitate the invasion of other exotic species 72 , 73 and intensify the several environmental impacts already observed in the region 10 , 20 , 22 , 74 signaling the possibility of expanding their geographical limit further south. Moreover, the great ability of sun-coral to colonize artificial structures 27 , 75 , put different port structures along the Brazilian coast at risk, pointing out an urgent need to establish different monitoring protocols for the early detection of the invader.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Western boundary currents drive sun-coral (Tubastraea spp.) coastal invasion from oil platforms

Coelho

Gherardi

Gouveia

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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Most marine species have a planktonic larval phase that benefit from the surface oceanic flow to enhance their dispersion potential. For invasive species, the interaction of environmentally resistant larvae with different flow regimes and artificial substrates can lead to complex larval dispersion patterns and boost geographic expansion. In the Southwest Atlantic, the invasive corals Tubastraea spp. (sun-coral) have been recorded biofouling on oil platforms since the late 1980s. These platforms are considered important vectors for the established populations throughout the Brazilian coast. However, we still do not know how the position of these structures relative to regional flow contribute to the natural dispersion potential of these invaders on a regional scale. Herein, we used an eddy-resolving ocean model (ROMS) and an Individual Based Model (IBM-Ichthyop) to simulate the natural dispersion patterns of sun-coral larvae from all oil platforms on Brazilian oil-producing basins, for the austral summer and winter along 6 years (2010–2015) in 90-day simulations. We found that mortality rates by advection were significantly higher during the winter (p = 0.001) and when sources of larvae were compared throughout this season (p = 1.9 × 10–17). The influence of two western boundary currents and persistent eddy activity contribute to the dispersal of larvae to distances up to 7000 km. The effectiveness of each oil-producing basin as vectors for the entire Brazilian coastline, measured as the percentage of larval supply, highlights the importance of the northern Ceará (59.89%) and Potiguar (87.47%) basins and the more central Camamu (44.11%) and Sergipe-Alagoas (39.20%) basins. The poleward shift of the Southern branch of the South Equatorial Current during the winter causes larvae released from the Sergipe-Alagoas and Camamu basins to enter the North Brazil Current, expanding their dispersion towards the north. The Brazil Current disperses larvae southwards, but strong mesoscale activity prevents their dispersion to the coast, especially for those released from the oil platforms on Campos and Santos basins. Within this complex hydrodynamic setting, a few source areas, like those in the Sergipe-Alagoas and Camamu basins, can potentially contribute to the spread of larvae along nearly all the Brazilian coast. Therefore, oil platforms act as possible chronic sources of sun-coral propagules to the coast, emphasizing the urgency for a more detailed set of actions to control and monitor these invasive exotic species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Western boundary currents drive sun-coral (Tubastraea spp.) coastal invasion from oil platforms

Coelho

Gherardi

Gouveia

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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“…Lionfish is an aggressive predatory IAS that impacts ecosystem functioning and threatens human well-being with human poisoning (Carlos-Júnior et al 2015;Haddad Jr et al 2015;Bumbeer et al 2018). Orange cup corals (a species of sun coral) impact ecosystem dynamics and structure of native reef communities (Miranda et al 2018;Silva et al 2019). However, despite the intense efforts to understand the impacts of these invasive alien species, information on economic costs has not been formally gathered or published.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The economic costs of biological invasions in Brazil: a first assessment

Adelino¹,

Heringer²,

Diagne³

et al. 2021

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Biological invasions are one of the leading causes of global environmental change and their impacts can affect biodiversity, ecosystem services, human health and the economy. Yet, the understanding on the impacts of invasive alien species is still limited and mostly related to alien species outbreaks and losses in agricultural yield, followed by the understanding of the ecological impacts on natural systems. Notably, the economic impacts of biological invasions have rarely been quantified. Brazil has at least 1214 known alien species from which 460 are recognized as invasive alien species. Still, there are no comprehensive estimates of the cost of their impact and management. Here, we aimed at filling this gap by providing a comprehensive estimate of the economic cost of biological invasions in Brazil. In order to quantify these costs for species, ecosystems and human well-being we used the InvaCost database which is the first global compilation of the economic costs of biological invasions. We found that Brazil reportedly spent a minimum of USD 105.53 billions over 35 years (1984–2019), with an average spent of USD 3.02 (± 9.8) billions per year. Furthermore, USD 104.33 billion were due to damages and losses caused by invaders, whereas only USD 1.19 billion were invested in their management (prevention, control or eradication). We also found that recorded costs were unevenly distributed across ecosystems, and socio-economic sectors, and were rarely evaluated and published. We found that the economic costs with losses and damages were substantially greater than those used for prevention, control or eradication of IAS. Since our data show costs reported in Brazil for only 16 invasive alien species, our estimates are likely a conservative minimum of the actual economic costs of biological invasions in Brazil. Taken together, they indicate that invasive alien species are an important cause of economic losses and that Brazil has mostly opted for paying for the damage incurred by biological invasions rather than investing in preventing them from happening.

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“…Considering the alarming densities of T. coccinea in non‐native habitats (de Paula et al., 2014; Silva et al, 2014), which may increase more than 70% per year (Lages et al., 2011), there is no doubt that the asexual production of a large number of larvae (Capel et al, 2017, 2019) is aiding its successful spread and colonization of new habitats. These high densities lead to substantial changes in the structure and function of the native benthic community (de Paula et al., 2014; Silva et al, 2014; Silva et al, 2019). For example, at Búzios Island, T. coccinea and Tubastraea tagusensis cover the hard substrate at many locations, outcompeting native and endemic species such as Palythoa caribaeorum (Luz & Kitahara, 2017) and Mussismilia hispida (Creed, 2006), and also changing the soft‐bottom seascape (Capel, Creed, & Kitahara, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life‐history traits ofTubastraea coccinea: Reproduction, development, and larval competence

Luz

Domênico

Migotto

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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The sun coral Tubastraea coccinea Lesson, 1829 (Dendrophylliidae) is a widely distributed shallow‐water scleractinian that has extended its range to non‐native habitats in recent decades. With its rapid spread, this coral is now one of the main invasive species in Brazil. Its high invasive capability is related to opportunistic characteristics, including several reproductive strategies that have allowed it to disperse rapidly and widely. To better understand the reproductive biology of T. coccinea and aid in developing management strategies for invaded areas, we investigated aspects of its reproductive performance and life cycle, including the effects of colony size, seawater temperature and salinity, and lunar periodicity on offspring production and larval metamorphosis competence. A total of 18,139 offspring were released in different developmental stages, mainly from the larger colonies, which also produced larvae with longer competence periods. The main reproductive peak occurred during the First Quarter and New Moon phases and was highest in water temperatures around 26°C. Together, these results help to explain the rapid expansion of T. coccinea into non‐native habitats such as the Caribbean and southwestern Atlantic, and will inform actions of the recent Brazilian National Plan for the prevention, eradication, control, and monitoring of sun corals.

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Sun coral invasion of shallow rocky reefs: effects on mobile invertebrate assemblages in Southeastern Brazil

Cited by 25 publications

References 45 publications

Western boundary currents drive sun-coral (Tubastraea spp.) coastal invasion from oil platforms

Western boundary currents drive sun-coral (Tubastraea spp.) coastal invasion from oil platforms

The economic costs of biological invasions in Brazil: a first assessment

Life‐history traits ofTubastraea coccinea: Reproduction, development, and larval competence

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