Document of bibliographic reference 359885

BibliographicReference record

Type

Bibliographic resource

Type of document

Journal article

BibLvlCode

AS

Title

Long-term changes in benthic communities following the invasion by an alien octocoral in the Southwest Atlantic, Brazil

Abstract

Invasive alien species are considered one of the main threats to marine biodiversity. We used a BACI design to investigate the changes in rocky reef benthic communities related to the invasion of the octocoral Latissimia ningalooensis in the Southwest Atlantic. Drastic changes in benthic community structure were restricted to the invaded site and associated with the growth of L. ningalooensis on turf algae. Conversely, the zoanthid Palythoa caribaeorum remained stable coverage along the 9-year study period, indicating a greater biotic resistance against the octocoral. Latissimia ningalooensis spread from large and well-established patches to new areas of the reef, increasing turf-octocoral interactions. This study warns of the great invasive potential of the octocoral, due to its high abundance, competitive and expansion ability. The decline in abundance of turf-forming algae following the emergence of L. ningalooensis threatens the structure and functioning of macroalgal-dominated rocky reefs.

WebOfScience code

https://www.webofscience.com/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:001055244800001

Bibliographic citation

de Carvalho-Junior, L.; Neves, L.M.; Teixeira-Neves, T.P.; Cardoso, S.J. (2023). Long-term changes in benthic communities following the invasion by an alien octocoral in the Southwest Atlantic, Brazil. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 186: 114386. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114386

Topic

Marine

Is peer reviewed

true