The alien octocoral is a biogenic substrate multiplier in artificial Brazilian shipwrecks.

Despite the obvious negative effects caused by invasive species, some recent studies have shown that the impacts at local scale are diverse and not necessarily negative. Arborescent benthic organisms such as octocorals form three-dimensional structures capable of increasing the amount of substrate available and providing shelter for epibiont species. We investigated the role of the alien octocoral on the diversity of benthic communities in three shipwrecks on the north-eastern coast of Brazil.