Invasion
Invasion Description
1st Record: NC/Topsail Inlet (1979, Searles et al. 1984); NC/Masonboro Inlet (1982, Searles et al. 1984)
Geographic Extent
NC/Topsail Inlet (1979, Searles et al. 1984); NC/Masonboro Inlet (1982, Searles et al. 1984)
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Alternate | Hull Fouling |
| Alternate | Natural Dispersal |
| Alternate | Oyster Accidental |
| Alternate | Fisheries Accidental (not Oyster) |
| Alternate | Discarded Bait |
Regional Impacts
| Ecological Impact | Competition | |
| Codium fragile appears to have replaced the native C. decorticatum on artificial substrates (concrete, bulkheads, granite seawalls) in Cape Fear and Masonboro Sounds, in comparisons with 1940s surveys. However, C. decorticatum remains abundant on natural substrates such as oysters (Geraldi et al. 2014). | ||
| Ecological Impact | Habitat Change | |
| Codium spp. are associated with both nitrogen-fixing and denitrifying bacteria. Codium fragile, which prefers artificial substrates, supports a greater rate of denitrification than the native C. decorticatum, increasing N2 release, and decreasing nitrate concentrations, potentially decreasing eutrophication (Geraldi et al. 2014). | ||