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Invasion of Snowflake Coral, Carijoa Riisei (Duchassaing and Michelotti, 1860), in Indian Seas: Threats to Coral Reef Ecosystem

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Invasion of Snowflake Coral, Carijoa Riisei (Duchassaing and Michelotti, 1860), in Indian Seas: Threats to Coral Reef Ecosystem Indian Journal of Geo Marine Sciences Vol. 45 (11), November 2016, pp. 1403-1408 General Article Invasion of Snowflake Coral, Carijoa riisei (Duchassaing and Michelotti, 1860), in Indian Seas: Threats to Coral Reef Ecosystem K. Venkataraman1, C. Raghunathan2*, Ch. Satyanarayana1 & R. Rajkumar3 1Zoological Survey of India, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata – 700 053, India 2Zoological Survey of India, Andaman and Nicobar Regional Centre, Port Blair-744 102, A & N Islands, India 3Zoological Survey of India, Marine Biology Regional Centre, 130, Santhome High Road, Chennai-600 028, India *[E-mail: [email protected] ] Received 16 January 2013; revised 5 June 2013 Present paper summarizes the occurrence of C. riisei in coral reefs of Indian seas, its likely impacts on the indigenous biota and policies for bioinvasion in the Indian context. With the limited information available on marine bioinvasion in tropical countries, especially in India, there is an urgent need of study on the occurrence and impacts of invasive species on the coral reef environment as this ecosystem harbors 25% of total marine biodiversity and contribute 10% fishery production. [Key words: Carijoa riisei, bioinvasion, coral reef, Indian Seas] Introduction shallow-water organisms have become more In an increasingly globalized world, plants, frequent and increasingly important in their animals, and microbes are introduced more and impacts on native communities. Since the 1970s, more frequently into regions that had never hosted a substantial increase in instances of exotic them. These "invasive" or "exotic" species can species invasion has occurred in harbors, ports, have a destabilizing influence in ecosystems that and other coastal ecosystems in temperate4-7 and lack the natural enemies needed to check the tropical regions around world. Although increased spread of exotics. Without such checks, exotics movement of larval organisms in cargo ship’s can overrun ecosystems, leaving an impoverished ballast water is usually attributed to be the and less resilient environment that is more principal cause of increases in bio-invasions5, 8-10, vulnerable to stresses. Invasive Alien Species other factors such as release of imported exotic (IAS) is a serious threats to the global aquarium or aquaculture organisms, vessel hull biodiversity, second in importance only to habitat fouling may also have made important loss1, 2. Ecological impacts of invasion are contributions to non-indigenous species complex and dependent on the interaction proliferation11. between the invader and the native community. Non-indigenous species can rapidly monopolize Carijoa riisei (Duchassaing and Michelotti, energy resources, act as voracious predators, 1860) overcome endemic species, or transmit parasites The octocoral Carijoa riisei was originally and diseases that can be passed to humans through described as Telesto rusei (Duchassaing & the food chain or direct exposure. Because of the Michelotti, 1860)12 from St. Thomas, Virgin serious consequences that can result from non- Islands after which the name was revised to indigenous introductions, marine species Telesto riisei (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864)13. invasions have been ranked among the most This Caribbean species was previously reported to serious potential sources of stress to marine occur from Florida to Brazil growing dense ecosystems3, 4. clusters in fouling communities below the low The cost of invasion is generally related to how tide line on pilings14, 15. Carijoa riisei commonly early one responds to the problem, and it known as ‘snowflake coral’ or ‘branched pipe increases with the lapse of time. In the recent coral’ is a soft coral species under family century and more especially during the last three Clavulariidae and order Alcyonacea. Four decades human-related redistributions of marine described species under Carijoa are C. multiflora 1404 INDIAN J. MAR. SCI., VOL. 45, NO. 11, NOVEMBER 2016 (Laackman, 1909), C. operculata (Bayer, 1961), known from Chuuk, Palau, the Philippines, C. riisei (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860) and C. Indonesia, Australia and Thailand (Fig. 1); rupicola Mueller, 1867. C. riisei forms erect, whether some of these also represent the species branching colonies with flexible stems. Colonies riisei is not known, although it could certainly form dense clusters of tangled, with prominent have achieved such as wide distribution in more white polyps. Each tall axial polyp has many short than 20 years of ship-mediated dispersal20 . lateral polyps. Stem tipped with single polyps; below secondary polyps grow in level. Polyps, when extended, have eight white pinnate tentacles, like the rays of a snowflake, unlike stony corals which have six tentacles. White to pink stalks has eight longitudinal groves. Stems often encrusted and or overgrown with algae sponge and other organisms. Colonies grow upto 10-24 cm high. In favorable conditions C. riisei forms dense, monospecific aggregations capable of carpeting hard substrata. It requires firm surface on which it attaches using stolons (root- like structure) and also grows well in hard Fig. 1- Global distribution of Carijoa riisei. 1: Kaua‘i; 2: surfaces such as metal, plastic, concrete etc. It is O‘ahu; 3: Maui; 4: Big Island; 5: Principe/Sao Tome (East reported to grow well in turbid waters rich in Atlantic); 6: Mauritius; 7: Indonesia; 8:Darwin, Australia; 9: organic matter and zooplankton on which it feeds. Palau; 10: Mariana/Caroline Islands; 11: Papua New Guinea/Solomon Islands; 12: Rapid Bay/Whyalla, Australia; C. riisei is gonochoric with a male to female ratio 13: Fly Point, Australia; 14: Fiji/Tonga; 15: Florida; 16: of one. Gametogeneis is asynchromous, Puerto Rico/US Virgin Islands; 17: Panama; 18: Brazil34 continuous and does not exhibit seasonal or lunar periodicity. It spawns negatively buoyant eggs Invasion of C. riisei in Indian Seas which suggest external fertilization and possibly The invasion of C. riisei was found in benthic larvae. Under favorable conditions, C. Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gulf of Mannar riisei exhibits high polyp fecundity. Fast growth, and Gulf of Kachchh from 2002 to 2012 at vegetative propagation, and superior competitive different period (Fig. 2). ability, enable C. riisei to form dense, multi colony aggregation, thereby, facilitating sexual reproduction. Provided C. riisei can achieve a critical density, this unusual sexual reproduction strategy probably enables it to exploit the ephemeral availability of space across time with a high and continuous production of larvae (Kahng et al., 2008)16. Bioinvasion of C. riisei Carijoa riisei was first reported from Pacific Ocean, Pearl Harbour of Hawaii Islands in 197217, 18. Although one of the few introduced marine invertebrates that have spread from harbors and embayment to oceanic coral reefs in Hawaii, C. riisei was previously considered a relatively benign introduction with no recognized negative impacts4. However, recent observations and information have elevated its invasive status. It is now known to monopolize benthic surfaces under conditions optimal for its growth from intertidal zone to as deep as >100 m, where it can overgrow and kill black corals19. Presently the species also Fig. 2- Invasion of C. riisei in Indian waters VENKATARAMAN et al.: INVASION OF SNOWFLAKE CORAL, CARIJOA RIISEI 1405 Andaman and Nicobar Archipelago currents, storm surges, tsunami etc. from these Invasion of Carijoa riisei was first reported neighboring countries. from Indian waters by Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) on 10th May 2009 at Kondul Island (Lat. 7º 10.023’N, Long. 93º 42.940’E) in Nicobar (Fig. 3). This island is uninhabited since the earthquake-cum tsunami struck Andaman and Nicobar Islands in December 2004. The luxuriant growth of colonies of C. riisei was found on the pilings of the 100m long abandoned jetty at a depth range of 3 to 20m. The colonies were bright red in colour with orange edges. These organisms attached on the piling and have erected growth up to a maximum length of 40cm with several intermediate branches. The density of the colonies recorded from the area was 6 to 13/m2 area and the maximum colonies found in 10-20m depth. Undisturbed corals especially Acropora, Porites, Fig. 3 - C. riisei from Kondul, Nicobar Montiopora, Pocillopora, Favites etc. exist on either side of the jetty. C. riisei was present at Gulf of Mannar submerged portion of all the pilings. Apart from In June 2009, Padmakumar et al.22, observed corals, the other cohabitant include colonial cup the invasion of Carijoa riisei in 10 islands of coral, Tubastrea coccinea with polymorphic form, Keelakari and Vembar groups of Islands in Gulf black coral Anthipathes, Wire coral Cirripathes, of Mannar. Their distribution was ubiquitous in Gorgonians Echinogorgia, Echinomuricea, seaward sides. Colonies were predominant on Juncella, Ellisella, echinoderms including shaded parts of the rocks and dead corals. They crinoids, ophiuroids etc. The samples of C. riisei were found in crevices and even on live massive were collected and registered in the repository of corals and cup corals as fouling growth and ZSI, Port Blair for future reference. th 21 seaweed beds on both sides of reef crests at a Subsequently on 30 June 2009, Dhivya et al. depth of 4-12 m. In terms of the number of reported the invasion of Carijoa riisei at Wandoor colonies, C. riisei was the dominant species in the Jetty (Lat. 11º 35’ 24’’ N, Long 92º 36’89’’E) in area surveyed22. The colonies were yellow, red or Mahatma Gandhi Marine
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