Expansion of an invasive coral species over Abrolhos Bank, Southwestern Atlantic (original) (raw)
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Background: The alien cup-coral Tubastraea spp. has been increasingly reported in the Southwestern Atlantic since the 1980s. More recently it was observed on the East coast of Brazil, the area with the highest biodiversity in the Southwest Atlantic. In the present study, we report the actual distribution of Tubastraea tagusensis and Tubastraea coccinea around Todos os Santos Bay (TSB), an important system in the Southwest Atlantic coast. Results: We mapped the geographic expansion of Tubastraea tagusensis and Tubastraea coccinea at 11 sites in estuarine and 2 in reef systems at TSB. Conclusions: The findings from our study will contribute to monitor alien expansion and implement management actions to control these invasions on the Brazilian coast.
The scleractinian corals Tubastraea coccinea Lesson, 1829 and Tubastraea tagusensis Wells, 1882 are the first alien corals to be introduced into the South Atlantic and threaten native marine organisms due to their noxious attributes. This study aimed to determine the spatial distribution and relative abundance of these species throughout the Tamoios Ecological Station Marine Protected Area (MPA). Monitoring was carried out at 33 sites by two snorkel divers swimming parallel to the shore and observing the substrate, diagnosing and visually estimating the relative abundance of both species on a scale: dominant, abundant, frequent, occasional, rare or absent. The study presents new records which demonstrate that the MPA is being invaded by both species and that T. tagusensis is leading the invasion from west to east. Most sites are near the original probable point of introduction into the region.
The alien coral Tubastraea spp. has invaded Atlantic coral reefs since 1940s, but their effects on native coral assemblages are poorly understood. In this study the effects on coral assemblage structure and tissue mortality in native competitors by alien coral were investigated. We compared native coral cover in zones with and without T. tagusensis and evaluated the mortality of native coral species in natural encounters with T. tagusensis. Additionally, we evaluated the effects of contact with this invader on two native corals, Siderastrea stellata and Montastraea cavernosa, using a manipulative experiment. Multivariate analyses detected significant differences between coral assemblages in invaded and non-invaded zones. In the invaded zone, we observed greater cover of T. tagusensis on reef walls (34.9 ± 4.2 %) than on reef tops (18.5 ± 4.1 %). Madracis decactis and Mussismilia hispida were significantly less abundant in invaded zone than in non-invaded zones at the reef walls. Manipulative experiments showed a significant increase in tissue mortality of S. stellata (3.2 ± 1.4 cm2) after 60 days of contact with T. tagusensis and no effects on M. cavernosa after 90 days of contact. In natural encounters, 52 and 0.1 % of the S. stellata and M. cavernosa colonies, respectively, showed tissue mortality. These results indicate that competitive interactions with native competitors are important to understand alien coral establishment on coral reef. Our study documents the negative effects of the alien coral on coral reef assemblages and reinforces the urgent need for monitoring and management actions to control the expansion of this invader on Brazilian reefs.
We report on the temporal and spatial changes in populations of the invasive corals Tubastraea coccinea and Tubastraea tagusensis over an eleven year period at the Ilha Grande Bay, tropical southwest Atlantic. A semi-quantitative method was used to investigate the geographical distribution of the two congeners on subtidal rocky reefs along 350 km of coastline by applying a relative abundance index (RAI) to quantify change. Data were compared among 2000, 2004, 2010 and 2011. The indices showed a transition from rarity to dominance throughout the region as well as range expansion; in contrast at one site, where a pilot management initiative of manual control has been carried out, there was a reduction in abundance over time. Abundance values were compared to distance from possible points of introduction to pinpoint where the initial introduction occurred. The observed relationship between the possible points of entry and abundance of the two Tubastraea species was highly significant for the achorage and oil terminal whereas somewhat less so for the shipyard, and port. The data obtained in this study are being used to plan further urgent management actions to control the biological invasion of the two Tubastraea species throughout the region, as well as being applied in modeling the range expansion into other regions.
Invasive potential of the coral Tubastraea coccinea in the southwest Atlantic
The orange cup coral Tubastraea coccinea was the first scleractinean to invade the western Atlantic. The species occurs throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea and has now established itself in the southwest Atlantic along the Brazilian coast. T. coccinea modifies native benthic communities, competes with an endemic coral species and demonstrates widespread invasive potential. We used species distribution modeling (SDM) to predict climatically suitable habitats for T. coccinea along the coastline of the southwestern Atlantic and identify the extent of the putative effects of this species on the native coral Mussismilia hispida by estimating areas of potential overlap between these species. The resulting SDMs predicted a large area of climatically suitable habitat available for invasion by T. coccinea and also predicted widespread occurrence of the endemic M. hispida along the Brazilian coast. The prediction of the T. coccinea distribution model suggests that suitable environmental conditions for the species occur throughout most of the littoral zone, including most of Brazil's marine protected areas. The overlap of the SDMs of M. hispida and T. coccinea revealed a large area with high habitat suitability for both species. Considering the invasive potential of T. coccinea and its ecological consequences, we concluded that this alien species could change the benthic communities of most of the shallow Brazilian coast and, as the invasive and native coral species have been shown to be antagonistic, T. coccinea represents a serious threat to M. hispida throughout most of its potential geographical distribution.
A survey of the distribution and abundance of the invasive orange cup coral Tubastraea coccinea Lesson, 1829 was conducted using photoquadrats during 2014/2015, fifteen years after its first documented introduction in a Cabo Frio upwelling area in the western South Atlantic (42º00′W–22º44′S). These data were related to local currents and to a dispersion model of particles and with sea surface temperatures (SST). The objective was to investigate how variations in environmental conditions (local currents and temperatures) influence the dispersion and survival of T. coccinea. Complementary laboratory experiments were performed to investigate the effects of low temperatures on the survival of this species. T. coccinea has expanded its distribution and larval dispersion seems to be driven by the local currents. Furthermore, higher densities of colonies and recruits were observed within areas with higher water temperatures (>20 °C), while no coral was found in the area of direct upwelling influence, suggesting that cold waters limited the distribution of T. coccinea. These findings were corroborated by laboratory experiments that showed a negative effect of cold water (≤ 12.5 °C) on colony survival. The present data contribute to our understanding of the worldwide geographical expansion of T. coccinea and could be particularly important for management decisions to prevent new invasions.
Retirement risks: Invasive coral on old oil platform on the Brazilian equatorial continental shelf
The objective of this study was to report, for the first time, the presence of an invasive coral (Tubastraea tagusensis) in an oil platform on the Brazilian equatorial continental shelf. This structure is located more than 1200 km north from other oil and gas structures colonized by this coral. We also discussed the retirement and decommissioning of old biofouling-encrusted oil and gas platforms (~62 platforms) from decreased production and the current oil crisis, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This presents an ecological concern due invasive coral range expansion and potential impacts to poorly studied ecosystems such as marginal shallow-water coral reefs and mesophotic ecosystems. It is imperative that mindful risk analysis and rigorous environmental studies must precede the installation of new oil and gas platforms. In addition, decommissioning of retired structures should take into consideration marine restoration and non-indigenous species dispersal, and more specifically, Tubastraea bioinvasion.
Brazilian journal of biology = Revista brasleira de biologia, 2005
The distribution and abundance of azooxanthellate coral Tubastraea Lesson, 1829 were examined at different depths and their slope preference was measured on rocky shores on Ilha Grande, Brazil. Tubastraea is an ahermatypic scleractinian nonindigenous to Brazil, which probably arrived on a ship's hull or oil platform in the late 1980's. The exotic coral was found along a great geographic range of the Canal Central of Ilha Grande, extending over a distance of 25 km. The abundance of Tubastraea was quantified by depth, using three different sampling methods: colony density, visual estimation and intercept points (100) for percentage of cover. Tubastraea showed ample tolerance to temperature and desiccation since it was found more abundantly in very shallow waters (0.1-0.5 m), despite the fact that hard substratum is available at greater depths at all the stations sampled. At most sites, 1 to 5 colonies per 0.25 m2 were found most frequently, but occasionally more than 50 coloni...