Invasion
Invasion Description
1st Record: Hilton Head/SC/Port Royal Sound (Byers et al. 2012, 5 sites, 32.2227 80.7876 to 32.3376 80.7885)
Geographic Extent
Hilton Head/SC/Port Royal Sound (Byers et al. 2012, 5 sites, 32.2227 , 80.7876 to 32.3376 ,80.7885)
Vectors
Level | Vector |
---|---|
Alternate | Hull Fouling |
Alternate | Natural Dispersal |
Regional Impacts
Ecological Impact | Habitat Change | |
Agarophyton vermiculophyllum created extensive seaweed habitat in Charleston Harbor, Hilton Head, and Wassaw Sound, by attaching the tubes of the polychaete Diopatra cuprea, providing habitat for invertebrate fauna, especially amphipods and snails (Byers et al. 2012). | ||
Ecological Impact | Food/Prey | |
Agarophyton vermiculophyllum created greatly increase seaweed biomass in Charleston Harbor, Hilton Head, and the Savannah River Delta, and rapidly decayed, providing a potential food source for invertebrates and microbes in the mudflats (Byers et al. 2012). | ||