Invasion History
First Non-native North American Tidal Record: 2001First Non-native West Coast Tidal Record:
First Non-native East/Gulf Coast Tidal Record: 2001
General Invasion History:
Caulerpa brachypus was described by Harvey from Japan in 1860. This alga has a wide native distribution in the Indo-Pacific, including the Philippines (Meinesz and Calumpong 1982), New Guinea ( Coppejeans and Meinesz 1988), Fiji (South and de Ramon n'Yeurt 1993), Mozambique, Madagascar, and Somalia (Guiry and Guiry 2022). In 1966, this alga was collected off Brazil (Lat 05 05 °S, Long 34 57 °W), as var. "brasiliana" (Joly et al. 1974). Caulerpa brachypus as collected in 1975 and 1976 on the Florida Middle Ground, a reef about 130 km off the west coast of Florida, and roughly 20 m deep. In 1999, C. brachypus was collected off Palm Beach County, Florida (US National Museum of Natural History 2022). In 2001, C. brachypus occurred on the Florida Atlantic Coast from Jupiter to Boynton Beach (Lapointe et al. 2005; Lapointe et al. 2006). Likely vectors include aquarium releases, ballast water, or hull fouling (Glardon 2006). It has rapidly expanded its range in the Indian River Lagoon, possibly responding to eutrophication from fertilizers and sewage. In 2003, it was found near the historic House of Refuge in Martin County in the Indian River Lagoon, and in 2004 in the Fort Pierce Inlet (US National Museum of Natural History 2022). However, the expansion of C. brachypus in the Indian River Lagoon may be limited by high light penetration (Brian LaPointe, personal communication).
North American Invasion History:
Invasion History on the East Coast:
Caulerpa brachypus was collected in 1975 and 1976 on the Florida Middle Ground, a reef about 130 km off the west coast of Florida, and roughly 20 m deep. In 1999, C. brachypus was collected off Palm Beach County, Florida (US National Museum of Natural History 2022). It has rapidly expanded its range in the Indian River Lagoon, possibly responding to eutrophication from fertilizers and sewage. In 2001, C. brachypus occurred on the Florida Atlantic Coast from Jupiter to Boynton Beach (Lapointe et al. 2005; Lapointe et al. 2006). In 2003, it was collected in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), near the historic House of Refuge in Martin County (Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution 2003; Wentley 2003). In 2004, it was collected in the Fort Pierce Inlet (US National Museum of Natural History 2022). 'Initial concerns that the alga would gain a foothold and quickly spread through the IRL have been partially allayed with the finding that it is largely intolerant of the high-light conditions characteristic of the shallow IRL system' (Brian LaPointe, personal communication).
Invasion History on the Gulf Coast:
Caulerpa brachypus was collected in 1975 and 1976 on the Florida Middle Ground, a reef about 130 km off the west coast of Florida, and roughly 20 m deep (US National Museum of Natural History 2022). However, we have no recent records from the Gulf.
Invasion History Elsewhere in the World:
Caulerpa brachypus was collected off Brazil in 1966 as C. b. var. "brasiliana" (Joly et al. 1974). It is apparently established in the Caribbean and was collected in Saint Barthelemy in 1987, in the US Virgin Islands in 1995, and in Guadeloupe and Martinique (Global Biodiversity Information (GBI) Facility 2022; Guiry and Guiry 2022; US National Museum of Natural History 2022). In 2023, this alga was found to be established on Great Barrier Island, off the North Island of New Zealand (Scott 2023; New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries 2023).
Description
Caulerpa brachypus is a green alga which consists of blade-like fronds branching from a creeping stolon. The fronds have a short stipe, and oval to tongue-shaped 'leaves', lined with small triangular outgrowths (Coppejans and Meinesz 1988). The plants form dense mats, spreading across the substrate. They are coenocytic, meaning that chloroplasts can move through the whole thallus, making it the equivalent of a cell with multiple nuclei (Bold and Wynne 1978).
Taxonomy
Taxonomic Tree
Kingdom: | Plantae | |
Phylum: | Chlorophycota | |
Class: | Chlorophyceae | |
Order: | Caulerpales | |
Family: | Caulerpaceae | |
Genus: | Caulerpa | |
Species: | brachypus |
Synonyms
Caulerpa brachypus (Harvey, 1860)
Caulerpa brachypus f. exposita (Børgesen, 1951)
Caulerpa brachypus var. mauritiana ((Børgesen) Børgesen, 1948)
Caulerpa mauritiana (Børgesen, 1940)
Caulerpa simplex (Levring, 1938)
Caulerpa stahlii (Weber-van Bosse, 1898)
Caulerpa brachypus f. parviflora ((Harvey) A.B.Cribb, 1958 , )
Potentially Misidentified Species
None
Caulerpa prolifera
None
Caulerpa taxifolia
None
Ecology
General:
Caulerpa brachypus is a marine green alga which consists of blade-like fronds branching from a creeping stolon, and can form dense mats on a variety of substrates (Coppejans and Meinesz 1988). It is widespread in tropical and subtropical climates (Guiry and Guiry 2022). In experiments, it grew and survived at 25-35 PSU, but died at 20 PSU (Iralandi et al, 2005). Caulerpa brachypus grows on reef areas in association with corals, gorgonian, sponges, and other sessile invertebrates. Caulerpa spp. are normally rare on healthy coral reefs, and blooms are associated with inputs of nitrogen in phosphorus. For C. brachypus in Florida, stable isotope analysis indicated that most of the inputs come through groundwater from heavy development in southern Florida (LaPointe and Bedford 2010). Off the coast of southeast Florida, C. brachypus grows best at depths of 25–47 m, under low-light conditions (50–200 mmol photons; LaPointe and Bedford 2010). In the Indian River Lagoon, high light levels have limited penetration. However, increasing turbidity could change that (Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce 2022). Caulerpa brachypus in Florida seems to be resistant to grazing, although it has relatively low levels of the defensive compound caulerpenyne (Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce 2022).
Trophic Status:
Primary Producer
PrimProdHabitats
General Habitat | Grass Bed | None |
General Habitat | Rocky | None |
General Habitat | Coral reef | None |
Salinity Range | Polyhaline | 18-30 PSU |
Salinity Range | Euhaline | 30-40 PSU |
Tidal Range | Subtidal | None |
Vertical Habitat | Epibenthic | None |
Life History
Sexual reproduction is uncommon in the genus Caulerpa. However, reproduction by fragmentation is very frequent in Caulerpa brachypus, while sexual reproduction is rare. It was not observed, but considered a a possible factor in the invasion (Lapointe and Bedford 2010).
Tolerances and Life History Parameters
Minimum Salinity (‰) | 25 | experimental, Irlandi et al. 2007 |
Maximum Salinity (‰) | 35 | Highest tested , Irlandi et al. 2007 |
Broad Temperature Range | None | Subtropical-Tropical |
Broad Salinity Range | None | Polyhaline-Euhaline |
General Impacts
Like other invasive Caulerpa species, Caulerpa brachypus can form dense mats and spread quickly and overgrow other native seaweeds, seagrasses, and fauna, reducing biodiversity. On the coast of northern Palm Beach County, blooms of Caulerpa brachypus were overgrowing sponges, corals, soft corals, and native algae (Caulerpa verticllatata, C. racemosa), forming dense mats. The rhizoids could also intercept nutrients which would support upright, frondose algae (LaPointe et al. 2005; Lapointe and Bedford 2010). A recent bloom in New Zealand is being monitored for local spread and impacts (https://www.mpi.govt.nz/biosecurity/exotic-pests-and-diseases-in-new-zealand/pests-and-diseases-under-response/exotic-caulerpa-seaweeds-at-great-barrier-great-mercury-islands-and-bay-of-islands-te-rawhiti-inlet/).
Regional Impacts
CAR-I | Northern Yucatan, Gulf of Mexico, Florida Straits, to Middle Eastern Florida | Ecological Impact | Competition | ||
On the coast of northern Palm Beach County, Florida, from Boynton Beach to Jupiter, blooms of Caulerpa brachypus were overgrowing sponges, corals, soft corals, and native algae (Cauilerpa verticllatata, C. racemosa), forming dense mats. Stable isotope analysis suggests that submarine groundwater discharge, absorbed through C. brachypus' rhizoids, is the major source of nutrients for these blooms. The rhizoids could also intercept nutrients which would support upright, frondose algae (LaPointe et al. 2005; Lapointe and Bedford 2010). |
|||||
CAR-I | Northern Yucatan, Gulf of Mexico, Florida Straits, to Middle Eastern Florida | Ecological Impact | Habitat Change | ||
The dense, continuous mats formed by Caulerpa brachypus cover sponges and corals, and displace taller frondose algae (LaPointe and Bedford 2010), probably erasing refuge habitats for small invertebrates and fishes. |
|||||
S196 | _CDA_S196 (Cape Canaveral) | Ecological Impact | Competition | ||
On the coast of northern Palm Beach County, Florida, from Boynton Beach to Jupiter, blooms of Caulerpa brachypus were overgrowing sponges, corals, soft corals, and native algae (Cauilerpa verticllatata, C. racemosa), forming dense mats. Stable isotope analysis suggests that submarine groundwater discharge, absorbed through C. brachypus' rhizoids, is the major source of nutrients for these blooms. The rhizoids could also intercept nutrients which would support upright, frondose algae (LaPointe et al. 2005; Lapointe and Bedford 2010). |
|||||
S196 | _CDA_S196 (Cape Canaveral) | Ecological Impact | Habitat Change | ||
The dense, continuous mats formed by Caulerpa brachypus cover sponges and corals, and displace taller frondose algae (LaPointe and Bedford 2010), probably erasing refuge habitats for small invertebrates and fishes. |
|||||
FL | Florida | Ecological Impact | Competition | ||
On the coast of northern Palm Beach County, Florida, from Boynton Beach to Jupiter, blooms of Caulerpa brachypus were overgrowing sponges, corals, soft corals, and native algae (Cauilerpa verticllatata, C. racemosa), forming dense mats. Stable isotope analysis suggests that submarine groundwater discharge, absorbed through C. brachypus' rhizoids, is the major source of nutrients for these blooms. The rhizoids could also intercept nutrients which would support upright, frondose algae (LaPointe et al. 2005; Lapointe and Bedford 2010). |
|||||
FL | Florida | Ecological Impact | Habitat Change | ||
The dense, continuous mats formed by Caulerpa brachypus cover sponges and corals, and displace taller frondose algae (LaPointe and Bedford 2010), probably erasing refuge habitats for small invertebrates and fishes. |
Regional Distribution Map
Bioregion | Region Name | Year | Invasion Status | Population Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
EAS-I | None | 0 | Native | Established |
EAS-III | None | 0 | Native | Established |
SP-VII | None | 0 | Native | Established |
CAR-I | Northern Yucatan, Gulf of Mexico, Florida Straits, to Middle Eastern Florida | 2001 | Non-native | Established |
EA-II | None | 0 | Native | Established |
EA-III | None | 0 | Native | Established |
EAS-II | None | 0 | Native | Established |
EAS-VIII | None | 0 | Native | Established |
EA-V | None | 0 | Native | Established |
S196 | _CDA_S196 (Cape Canaveral) | 2001 | Non-native | Established |
AG-1 | None | 0 | Native | Established |
EAS-IV | None | 0 | Native | Established |
CAR-IV | None | 1995 | Non-native | Established |
SA-II | None | 2005 | Non-native | Established |
EAS-VII | None | 0 | Native | Established |
SP-IV | None | 0 | Native | Established |
AUS-II | None | 0 | Native | Established |
AUS-XII | None | 0 | Native | Established |
AUS-X | None | 0 | Native | Established |
AUS-XII | None | 0 | Native | Established |
WA-V | None | 0 | Native | Established |
AUS-XI | None | 0 | Native | Established |
AUS-XIV | None | 0 | Native | Established |
SP-XIII | None | 0 | Native | Established |
EAS-II | None | 0 | Native | Established |
AUS-III | None | 0 | Native | Established |
AUS-VII | None | 0 | Native | Established |
S190 | Indian River | 2001 | Non-native | Established |
NZ-IV | None | 2021 | Non-native | Established |
Occurrence Map
OCC_ID | Author | Year | Date | Locality | Status | Latitude | Longitude |
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References
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