[Coral-List] BP Crude Oil Found in Heterotrophic Corals

[Eugene Shinn]

Thanks Steve for painstakingly distinguishing the fine points separating 
introduced from invasive species. Welcome to the Global Economy. In 
south Florida we live surrounded by "introduced" and so-called invasive 
species. They include everything from potatoes to coconut palms and more 
recently, Iguanas and Pythons that will likely be here until the next 
ice age. I suggest we spend too much time and money worrying about them 
once they are here. We can't get red of them. I expect that someday 
diving tourist will pay money to see rocks covered by colorful 
/Tubastraea/ coral species. More than 20 years ago I chastised a local 
news writer for publishing an article on the plight of coral reefs. The 
article featured a colorful underwater photo of what a reef should look 
like. There was not a living coral in the photo! Beauty is in the eye of 
the beholder.

Since you mentioned the poster-child cattle egret as an invasive I 
remind readers that in 1988, African locusts made it to the new world in 
a cloud of African dust and African species of orchids have popped up in 
backyards while tiny citrus leaf minors and citrus cancer appears in the 
tracks of hurricanes originating in the Cape Verde islands. We all know 
the phrase, "Red sky in the morning sailor take warning."

The saying stems from the red African dust transported ahead of Cape 
Verde hurricanes.

At least once a year a new species of some tiny sap-sucking bug 
indigenous to Africa invades south Florida. Place a little of the dust 
in a glass of water and soon you will see invasive Rotifers swimming 
around. But of course the largest number of invasives are the microbes. 
USGS microbiologists cultured and identified as many as 200 species of 
microbes before funds were diverted elsewhere and more recent genomic 
methods show the dust contains thousands. Yes we and the corals live in 
a global economy and invasive /Homo sapiens/ thrive on down grading the 
more recent arrivals. Gene

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No Rocks, No Water, No Ecosystem (EAS)
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E. A. Shinn, Courtesy Professor
University of South Florida
College of Marine Science Room 221A
140 Seventh Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
<eugeneshinn at mail.usf.edu>
Tel 727 553-1158
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