Fighting on the edge: reproductive effort and population structure of the invasive coral Tubastraea coccinea in its sout
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Fighting on the edge: reproductive effort and population structure of the invasive coral Tubastraea coccinea in its southern Atlantic limit of distribution following control activities Marcelo Schuler Crivellaro . Thiago Cesar Lima Silveira . Fernanda Yumi Custo´dio . Lucas Cambraia Battaglin . Michele de Sa´ Dechoum . Adriana Carvalhal Fonseca . Ba´rbara Segal Received: 6 April 2020 / Accepted: 28 October 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract The detection and control of invasive alien species in marine ecosystems is especially challenging because it is difficult to visualize the full extension of an invasion, while control options are often limited. The invasive scleractinian coral Tubastraea coccinea have spread over 8000 km of the Atlantic coastline, from Florida in the USA to southern Brazil, mainly in association with oil and gas platforms. This invasive coral threatens endemic species, reduces native coral recruitment, and modifies communities and trophic interactions, posing a relevant threat to shallow
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/ s10530-020-02403-5. M. S. Crivellaro (&) T. C. L. Silveira M. de Sa´ Dechoum B. Segal Programa de Po´s-graduac¸a˜o em Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Floriano´polis, SC, Brazil e-mail: [email protected] F. Y. Custo´dio L. C. Battaglin Curso de Cieˆncias Biolo´gicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Floriano´polis, SC, Brazil
Atlantic reefs. The main aim of our study was to assess the effectiveness of an ongoing T. coccinea control program by analyzing the results of control interventions on population structure and cover of the target species in its southern Atlantic limit of distribution. We also describe the reproductive effort of T. coccinea in a 12-month time span. Between 2012 and 2019, almost 14,000 colonies were removed, most of them of small size (\ 5 polyps). The highest reproductive effort was observed in September. Changes in T. coccinea cover, population structure and potential local propagule supply were observed. Control activities led to a reduction in up to half the cover of the invaded area, maintained the majority of the population in non-reproductive sizes, and consequently lowered the potential local propagule supply. Our paper highlights the fundamental role of control in preventing the local spread of T. coccinea. Recommendations on management frequency and timing are also discussed in order to contribute to the improvement of management efficiency. Keywords Marine invasion Invasive species Management Mechanical control Scleractinian corals Propagules
A. C. Fonseca Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservac¸a˜o da Biodiversidade, Floriano´polis, SC, Brazil B. Segal Instituto Coral Vivo, Arraial D’Ajuda, BA, Brazil
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Introduction As a consequence of the expansion of international trade, the number of translocated and int
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