Marine litter and wood debris as habitat and vector for the range expansion of invasive corals (Tubastraea spp.).

Tubastraea coccinea Lesson, 1830 and T. tagusensis Wells 1982 are azooxanthellate corals non-native to Brazil and introduced through fouling on oil platforms, the primary vector. They first invaded the tropical rocky reefs at Ilha Grande Bay (southwest Atlantic Ocean), during the early 1990s.

Anti-inflammatory potential of invasive sun corals (Scleractinia: Tubastraea spp.) from Brazil: alternative use for management?

Objectives: The objective was to analyse the anti-inflammatory potential of the invasive coral species Tubastraea coccinea and Tubastraea tagusensis.

Methods: Methanolic extracts, fractions and synthesized compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory ability, and their composition was elucidated through chemical analysis.

Key Findings: The genus Tubastraea (Order Scleractinia, Family Dendrophylliidae) (known as sun corals) presents compounds with pharmacological value.

Mutagenic, genotoxic and cytotoxic studies of invasive corals Tubastraea coccinea and Tubastraea tagusensis.

The high diversity of species in the marine environment gives rise to compounds with unique structural patterns not found as natural products in other systems and with great potential for pharmacological, cosmetic and nutritional use. The genus Tubastraea (Class Anthozoa, Order Scleractinia, Family Dendrophylliidae) is characterized as a hard coral without the presence of zooxanthellae. In species of this genus alkaloids derived from the compound aplysinopsin with pharmacological activity are known.

Invasion of aquarium origin soft corals on a tropical rocky reef in the southwest Atlantic, Brazil.

Non-indigenous species (NIS) can cause substantial change in ecosystems and as marine invasives they can become a major threat to coastal and subtidal habitats. In September 2017 previously unknown and apparently NIS soft corals were detected on a shallow subtidal tropical rocky reef at Ilha Grande Bay, southeast Brazil. The present study aims to identify the species, quantify their distribution, abundance, and their interactions with native species.

The role of competition in the phase shift to dominance of the zoanthid Palythoa cf. variabilis on coral reefs.

Phase shift phenomena are becoming increasingly common. However, they are also opportunities to better understand how communities are structured. In Southwest Atlantic coral reefs, a shift to the zoanthid Palythoa cf.