Identifying the physical features of marina infrastructure associated with the presence of non-native species in the UK

Abstract

Marine invasive non-native species (NNS) are one of the greatest threats to global marine biodiversity, causing significant economic and social impacts. Marinas are increasingly recognised as key reservoirs for invasive NNS. They provide submersed artificial habitat that unintentionally supports the establishment of NNS introduced from visiting recreational vessels. While ballast water and shipping vectors have been well documented, the role of recreational vessels in spreading NNS has been relatively poorly studied. Identification of the main physical features found within marinas, which relate to the presence of NNS, is important to inform the development of effective biosecurity measures and prevent further spread. Towards this aim, physical features that could influence the presence of NNS were assessed for marinas throughout the UK in July 2013. Thirty-three marine and brackish NNS have been recorded in UK marinas, and of the 88 marinas studied in detail, 83 contained between 1 and 13 NNS. Significant differences in freshwater input, marina entrance width and seawall length were associated with the presence of NNS. Additionally, questionnaires were distributed to marina managers and recreational vessel owners to understand current biosecurity practices and attitudes to recreational vessel biosecurity. The main barriers to biosecurity compliance were cited as cost and time. Further work identifying easily distinguished features of marinas could be used as a proxy to assess risk of invasion.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00227-016-2941-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The Role of Biofilms Developed under Different Anthropogenic Pressure on Recruitment of Macro-Invertebrates

“…These site effects are possibly due to differences in its exposure and age; while Náutico is an old and very enclosed harbor, resulting in poor water renewal and the corresponding ecological problems, Davila is quite an open environment, not surrounded by structures, having short residence times and presumably lower pollution. Lower NIS recruitment has been observed in open marinas compared with partially enclosed ones [57,58], as enclosed and semi-enclosed marinas have complex circulation patterns, increasing the propagule pressure and the likelihood of settlement of NIS due to higher water residency and limited dispersal of planktonic larvae [57]. Despite this spatial variability, in both harbors the origin of biofilm had an effect when the complete assemblage was analyzed, with taxa such as the native Spirobranchus triqueter appearing settled mostly on MPA biofilms and the NIS Watersipora subatra on local biofilms.…”

Prioritizing marine invasive alien species in the European Union through horizon scanning

“…To this end, the recent adoption by the International Maritime Organization of the ‘ International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments ’ is encouraging. shipping fouling has an important role for introductions, which also applies to secondary spread of already introduced alien populations (Davidson et al, ; Foster, Giesler, Wilson, Nall, & Cook, ; Gewing & Shenkar, ; Simard et al, ; Ulman et al, , ). The related guidance developed in the context of the Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC, ) is a step forward, but we would stress the need for more enforceable control of this pathway.…”

Towards an urban marine ecology: characterizing the drivers, patterns and processes of marine ecosystems in coastal cities

“…In some regions, artificial structures support a larger standing stock of benthic macroalgae and other hard-bottom organisms, which then enter adjacent sediments as detritus and may alter sedimentary community dynamics (Boehlert and Gill 2010, Heery 2018, Heery and Sebens 2018. Artificial structures has been shown to o act as 'stepping stones' for dispersal, particularly of non-indigenous taxa (Bulleri and Airoldi 2005, Glasby et al 2007, Vaselli et al 2008, Sheehy and Vik 2010, Airoldi et al 2015, Foster et al 2016) and alter genetic population structure of marine fauna (Fauvelot et al 2012). Marine species vary in dispersal potential, and many taxa encounter barriers to dispersal at relatively small spatial scales (Darling et al 2009, Costantini et al 2013, Maas et al 2018, Sefbom et al 2018.…”

“…Differences in species abundance between artificial and natural rocky shores may be biased towards some functional groups, such as motile primary consumers (Chapman 2003, Pister 2009). However, human-made habitats in urban areas also provide a foothold for a variety of non-indigenous species, many of which are non-motile (Glasby et al 2007, Vaselli et al 2008, Ruiz et al 2009, Sheehy and Vik 2010, Simkanin et al 2012, Airoldi et al 2015, Foster et al 2016.…”