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Northward range expansion of the invasive coral (Tubastraea tagusensis) in the southwestern Atlantic

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Abstract

Invasive species are recognized as a major threat to marine biodiversity. The scleractinian coral Tubastraea tagusensis has been expanding its range into the southwest Atlantic Ocean, causing negative impacts on marine ecosystems. In 2016, the species was recorded on a shipwreck located 40 km off the Brazilian coast of Ceará State (latitude 2°30′ S), at densities ranging from 16 to 872 colonies × m−2. This is the first documented occurrence and density of T. tagusensis in the northern region of Brazilian coral reefs (NBR), expanding the range of the genus along the Brazilian coastline to ca. 3850 km. Here it may form a threat to marine environments such as coral reefs, rocky shores, mussel beds, and fouling communities on manmade structures. Considering that the NBR contains vulnerable marine ecosystems, such as the reef system off the Amazon River, and that it is connected by both the North Brazil Current and shipping lanes associated with oil and gas platforms, a monitoring programme is needed to study the population dynamics of this invasive species.

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Acknowledgements

Financial support was provided by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico — CNPq (Grants 233808/2014-0 to MOS) and INCT AmbTropic (National Institute of Science and Technology for the Tropical Marine Environment). We thank the editor and three anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments, which helped us to improve the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Ciências do Mar (LABOMAR), Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Brazil

    Marcelo de Oliveira Soares & Pedro Bastos de Macêdo Carneiro

  2. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Barcelona, Spain

    Marcelo de Oliveira Soares

  3. Mar do Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil

    Marcus Davis

Authors
  1. Marcelo de Oliveira Soares
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  2. Marcus Davis
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  3. Pedro Bastos de Macêdo Carneiro
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Correspondence to Marcelo de Oliveira Soares.

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Communicated by B. W. Hoeksema

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de Oliveira Soares, M., Davis, M. & de Macêdo Carneiro, P.B. Northward range expansion of the invasive coral (Tubastraea tagusensis) in the southwestern Atlantic. Mar Biodiv 48, 1651–1654 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-016-0623-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-016-0623-x

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