Using Species Distribution Modeling to Enhance the Detection of an Invasive Soft Coral in Hawai‘i

Biological invasions are an increasingly major global threat to the functioning of ecosystems today (Levine, 2008; Roy et al., 2024). While most non-native species have neutral or benign impacts, smaller subsets can cause significant ecological and economic harm (Levine, 2008). They are responsible for 60% of documented extinctions in all ecosystems and incurring global economic costs exceeding US$ 423 billion in 2019 (Roy et al., 2024). These harmful species are termed “invasive” and often characterized as fast-growing generalist organisms capable of rapid establishment and spread (Levine, 2008; Walther et al., 2009).