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Geographic distribution of Ophiothela brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea): substrate use plasticity and implications for the silent invasion of O. mirabilis in the Atlantic

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Abstract

This study aimed to address the Ophiothela species distribution worldwide, report invasive populations, and investigate their association with benthic organisms through an extensive review of the scientific literature. All six Ophiothela species occur between latitudes 33º S and 38º N and, together, are dispersed across 75% of the marine realms. Spread throughout more than 6700 km of the Western Atlantic Ocean coastline, O. mirabilis is the only species recorded as invasive. Higher plasticity in substrate use was detected in invaded areas than in native ones, which indicates that substrate availability does not limit the invasive potential of O. mirabilis. The colonization affinity of Ophiothela species is high for Cnidaria species, irrespective of population origin. High densities (e.g., up to 2.8 brittle stars cm−2 per gorgonian surface) and opportunistic habitat colonization pattern found for O. mirabilis invasive populations suggest fast dispersion rates along the Atlantic coast. Therefore, the expansion of this species to nearby systems is likely, and the potential to damage native host species is high.

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Data Availability

The dataset analyzed during the current study was built with data retrieved from the Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar electronic databases. All publications analyzed are listed in the Appendix in Supplementary Material. Further information will be made available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Ecology and Evolution (PPGEE-UERJ), Neotropical Biodiversity (PPGBIO-UNIRIO), and Zoology (PPGZOO-MN/UFRJ) graduate courses. They are also grateful to the anonymous referees for all positive contributions to the manuscript.

Funding

This study was funded in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES) – Code 001 (doctorate scholarship to MRT), Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (postdoctoral fellowship awarded to ACSF, E-26/202.423/2019; research Grants to LNS, E-26/202.755/2018 and CRRV, 242060), and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) (research Grants to LNS, ref. 314379/2018-5 and CRRV, ref. 310167/2018-3).

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  1. Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Evolução, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, R224, Pavilhão Haroldo Lisboa da Cunha, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20550-019, Brasil

    M. R. Tavares & L. N. Santos

  2. Departamento de Ecologia e Recursos Marinhos, Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade Neotropical, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Avenida Pasteur, 458, R314A, Urca, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22290-240, Brasil

    A. C. S. Franco & L. N. Santos

  3. Departamento de Invertebrados, Laboratório de Echinodermata, Museu Nacional, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Quinta da Boa Vista, s/n, Horto Botânico, São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20940-040, Brasil

    C. R. R. Ventura

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MRT, ACSF, and LNS contributed to the study conception. The literature search and data analysis were performed by MRT and ACSF. The first draft of the manuscript was written by MRT and ACSF, CRRV, and LNS commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Tavares, M.R., Franco, A.C.S., Ventura, C.R.R. et al. Geographic distribution of Ophiothela brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea): substrate use plasticity and implications for the silent invasion of O. mirabilis in the Atlantic. Hydrobiologia 848, 2093–2103 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-020-04505-6

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