General Impact
The University of Hawai‘i (UNDATED) states that, "The success of H. musciformis in Hawai‘i is likely due to a rapid growth rate, ability to epiphytize other algae and easy fragmentation. Drifting fragments reattach to other algae, especially Sargassum, which can become detached during storms and float long distances, carrying the epiphytic H. musciformis with it. Dispersal may well have been enhanced via inter-island travel with fouled boat hulls." The authors also report that, "H. musciformis is often found in large, nearly unialgal mats, and during the winter can represent 2/3 of the biomass of drift algae on windward and leeward beaches on Maui. These mats are tossed ashore in windrows up to 1.5 feet and are considered an odiferous pest. In peak blooms, thousands of pounds wash up on Maui beaches."Since its introduction, H. musciformis has become a staple food source for the green sea turtle (see Chelonia mydas in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species). This worries biologists because the nutritional value of H. musciformis has not been determined for green sea turtles. Only further research will determine if a diet of H. musciformis is detrimental to sea turtle populations (University of Hawai‘I, UNDATED).
No Impact information recorded for Hypnea musciformis
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