The invasive snowflake coral (Carijoa riisei) in the Tropical Eastern Pacific, Colombia

 

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Sánchez, Juan Armando, Ballesteros, Diana
Formato: artículo original
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de Publicación:2014
Descripción:Carijoa riisei (Octocorallia: Cnidaria), a western Atlantic species, has been reported in the Pacific as an invasive species for nearly forty years. C. riisei has been recently observed overgrowing native octocorals at several rocky-coral littorals in the Colombian Tropical Eastern Pacific-(TEP). C. riisei has inhabited these reefs for at least 15 years but the aggressive overgrowth on other octocorals have been noted until recently. Here, we surveyed for the first time the distribution and inter-specific aggression by C. riisei in both coastal and oceanic areas colonized in the Colombian TEP (Malpelo, Gorgona and Cabo Corrientes), including preliminary multiyear surveys during 2007-2013. We observed community-wide octocoral mortalities (including local extinction of some Muricea spp.) and a steady occurrence of competing and overgrowing Pacifigorgia seafans and Leptogorgia seawhips. In Gorgona Island, at two different sites, over 87% (n=77 tagged colonies) of octocorals (Pacifigorgia spp. and Leptogorgia alba) died as a result of C. riisei interaction and/or overgrowth between 2011 and 2013. C. riisei overgrows octocorals with an estimate at linear growth rate of about 1cm m-1. The aggressive overgrowth of this species in TEP deserves more attention and regular monitoring programs. Rev. Biol. Trop. 62 (Suppl. 1): 199-207. Epub 2014 February 01. 
País:Portal de Revistas UCR
Institución:Universidad de Costa Rica
Repositorio:Portal de Revistas UCR
Lenguaje:Inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:portal.ucr.ac.cr:article/16276
Acceso en línea:https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/rbt/article/view/16276
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Carijoa riisei
octocorals
invasive species
Tropical Eastern Pacific
Gorgona
Malpelo
Cabo Corrientes
Chocó
Colombia
octocorales
especies invasoras
Pacífico Oriental Tropical