[Coral-List] Exotic vs. Invasive.

[Steve Gittings - NOAA Federal]

John - the folks that study these critters tell me that "non-indigenous" =
"exotic," and that these species only are considered "invasive" when they
have detrimental impacts on native species or ecosystems.  Thus, not all
exotic species are invasive, but all invasive species are exotic.

On Fri, Feb 15, 2013 at 11:26 AM, John Ware <jware at erols.com> wrote:

> Dear List,
>
> Ken Marks recent post concerning Tubastraea micranthus reminded me of an
> incident that occurred on a recent trip to Bonaire.  A divemaster was
> bemoaning the "invasion" of lionfish.  When I mentioned that the "poster
> coral" for Bonaire (Tubastraea sp) was invasive, I was severely
> chastised.  Lionfish were "invasive", Tubastraea was "exotic".
>
> I noted that Ken Marks used both "exotic" and "invasion" in his e-mail.
>  I had never thought about the distinction before.
>
> After Googling around a bit, I concluded that if the species under
> consideration was sort of cute, it was "exotic".  If it was ugly, it was
> "invasive".
>
> While that is a vast oversimplification, I wonder if the coral-reef
> community distinguishes "exotic" from "invasive" and, if so, is there a
> precise definition of the difference?
>
> John
>
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-- 
Dr. Steve Gittings, Science Coordinator
NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
1305 East West Hwy., N/ORM62
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