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Invasive gorilla ogo seaweed confirmed again on Honolulu's shoreline

iNaturalist: juliencw

Invasive Species

The bushy red seaweed you spot on a Honolulu reef walk is likely gorilla ogo, an introduced species that crowds out native algae, and your own photo-logged sightings help managers see where it's spreading.

Someone photographed gorilla ogo, a bushy red seaweed, in Honolulu, and the community confirmed the ID. It was brought to Hawaii for farming and now grows in thick mats on shallow reefs, where it shades out native seaweeds and coral. Sightings like this one help scientists and land managers map where it's spreading.

Key Findings

1

The observation reached research-grade status, meaning the community agreed on the species ID.

2

Gorilla ogo (Gracilaria salicornia) is a non-native red alga established in Hawaiian coastal waters.

3

Location records from Honolulu contribute to tracking the spread of this invasive seaweed.

chevron_right Technical Summary

A community observer confirmed gorilla ogo, an invasive red seaweed, growing in Honolulu. It forms thick mats that smother native reef algae and coral, so each verified sighting helps track its spread along Hawaii's coasts.

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Abstract Preview

Original paper

Gorilla ogo (Gracilaria salicornia) observed in Honolulu, HI, US

Research-grade observation of Gorilla ogo in Honolulu, HI, US.

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Abstract copyright held by the original publisher.

hub This connects to 10 other discoveries — Gorilla ogo invasive-species, citizen-science, marine-algae +1 more 5 related articles

Species Mentioned

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Photo by Damien Wallace, taken in Hawaii, United States. CC0 via iNaturalist.

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Citizen science is research conducted with the participation of non-professional and amateur researchers from the general public, contributing observations and data to scientific investigations. Plant science particularly benefits from this approach because botanical research requires geographic

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