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Updated: Aug 19, 2025
Coral Reef Arks: An In Situ Mesocosm and Toolkit for Assembling Reef Communities
Published on: January 6, 2023
Long-term changes in benthic communities following the invasion by an alien octocoral in the Southwest Atlantic,
Lécio de Carvalho-Junior1, Leonardo M Neves2, Tatiana P Teixeira-Neves2
1Graduate Program in Biodiversity, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Rua José Lourenço Kelmer, São Pedro, Juiz de Fora, MG 36036-900, Brazil; Laboratory of Plankton Ecology, Department of Zoology, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Rua José Lourenço Kelmer, São Pedro, Juiz de Fora, MG 36036-900, Brazil; Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology and Environmental Education, Department of Environmental Sciences, Campus Três Rios, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, Três Rios, RJ 25802-100, 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.
