Abstract
The recent invasion of the red alga Heterosiphonia japonica in the western North Atlantic Ocean has provided a unique opportunity to study invasion dynamics across a biogeographical barrier. Native to the western North Pacific Ocean, initial collections in 2007 and 2009 restricted the western North Atlantic range of this invader to Rhode Island, USA. However, through subtidal community surveys, we document the presence of Heterosiphonia in coastal waters from Maine to New York, USA, a distance of more than 700 km. This geographical distribution spans a well-known biogeographical barrier at Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Despite significant differences in subtidal community structure north and south of Cape Cod, Heterosiphonia was found at all but two sites surveyed in both biogeographic provinces, suggesting that this invader is capable of rapid expansion over broad geographic ranges. Across all sites surveyed, Heterosiphonia comprised 14% of the subtidal benthic community. However, average abundances of nearly 80% were found at some locations. As a drifting macrophyte, Heterosiphonia was found as intertidal wrack in abundances of up to 65% of the biomass washed up along beaches surveyed. Our surveys suggest that the high abundance of Heterosiphonia has already led to marked changes in subtidal community structure; we found significantly lower species richness in recipient communities with higher Heterosiphona abundances. Based on temperature and salinity tolerances of the European populations, we believe Heterosiphonia has the potential to invade and alter subtidal communities from Florida to Newfoundland in the western North Atlantic.
Highlights
Non-native species invasions have become a primary focus of research on global change in the past decade [1,2]
Marine invasive species have been identified as a major threat to biodiversity [1,5,7]
Northern subtidal communities were primarily composed of Chondrus crispus, Heterosiphonia japonica, crustose coralline algal species, and Corallina officinalis, which collectively comprised over 60% of the sessile species cover
Summary
Non-native species invasions have become a primary focus of research on global change in the past decade [1,2]. The importance of marine invasions is highlighted by the significant economic and ecological impacts often associated with these species following a successful invasion. While only a small fraction of all introduced species can successfully thrive in a new habitat, their impacts can be dramatic [3,4]. Invasive marine species have been responsible for the collapse of fisheries and losses in aquaculture, tourism, and marine infrastructure [5]. Invaders may have substantial ecological impacts by modifying the habitat in which they invade, displacing native species, and altering food webs and community structure [6]. Marine invasive species have been identified as a major threat to biodiversity [1,5,7]
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