AN ALTERNATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING APPROACH TO NONINDIGENOUS SPECIES INTRODUCED FOR MARICULTURAL PURPOSES: THE CASE OF Kappaphycus alvarezii (RHODOPHYTA, SOLIERIACEAE) CULTIVATION IN BRAZIL

Abstract

The introduction of exotic species has been one of the alternatives to meet the growing interest in aquacultural products in Brazil. However the practice is controversial, since the mechanisms and consequences of most invasions are unpredictable. The exotic species Kappaphycus alvarezii is a commercially important red seaweed from which carrageenan is extracted, that was experimentally introduced in Brazil in 1995. Its environmental spread was periodically monitored since its introduction, but truly effective monitoring relies on consistent previous knowledge about the structure and functioning of the natural  communities in the cultivation areas. This work introduces an integrative, rapid and comprehensive evaluation method named Physiognomic Assessment of Hard Bottom Benthic Communities. This method is already being used for describing communities is an alternative tool that can rapidly monitor the possible impacts of the cultivation of nonindigenous species.