In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma: Colonization of a 4-year-old shipwreck by native and non-native corals, including a new cryptogenic species for the Caribbean

Bert W Hoeksema; Melanie P Meijer Zu Schlochtern; Kaveh Samimi-Namin; Catherine S McFadden

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114649

In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma: Colonization of a 4-year-old shipwreck by native and non-native corals, including a new cryptogenic species for the Caribbean

Mar Pollut Bull. 2023 Mar:188:114649. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114649. Epub 2023 Feb 1.

Authors

Bert W Hoeksema¹, Melanie P Meijer Zu Schlochtern², Kaveh Samimi-Namin³, Catherine S McFadden⁴

Affiliations

¹ Taxonomy, Systematics and Geodiversity Group, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands; Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen, the Netherlands; Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9505, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands. Electronic address: bert.hoeksema@naturalis.nl.
² Nature Foundation St. Maarten, Wellsburg Street 1A Unit 25-26, Cole Bay, Sint Maarten (Dutch Part); Wageningen University & Research, Aquaculture and Fisheries, Wageningen, the Netherlands.
³ Taxonomy, Systematics and Geodiversity Group, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands; Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxfordshire, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK; Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK.
⁴ Department of Biology, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711, USA.

PMID: 36736255
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114649

Abstract

Little is known about early coral settlement on shipwrecks with regard to their species and size compositions. Hurricanes in the Caribbean have a long history of sinking ships but a link with new coral settlement is understudied. In 2017, Hurricane Irma caused the sinking of over 300 vessels in the coastal waters of Saint Martin, eastern Caribbean. In 2021, coral settlement was studied on one of them, which included two native, one non-native, and two cryptogenic species. The corals were smaller than 8 cm in diameter. The invasive Tubastraea coccinea was the most abundant scleractinian and was predominantly represented by juveniles. A cryptogenic species, Stragulum bicolor, new for the Caribbean, was the most common octocoral. Because they can be harmful to the environment, shipwrecks should be monitored frequently for the occurrence of non-native species, especially when they are only a few years old.

Keywords: Biofouling; Carijoa riisei; Invasive species; Stragulum bicolor; Substrate colonization; Tubastraea coccinea.

MeSH terms

Animals
Anthozoa*
Caribbean Region
Coral Reefs
Cyclonic Storms*