Humans have built ports on all the coasts of the world, allowing people to travel, exploit the sea, and develop trade. The proliferation of these artificial habitats and the associated maritime traffic are not predicted to fade in the coming decades. Ports share common characteristics: species find themselves in novel singular environments, with particular abiotic properties -e.g., pollutants, shading, protection from wave action-within novel communities in a melting-pot of invasive and native taxa. Here we discuss how this drives evolution, including setting-up of new connectivity hubs and gateways, adaptive responses to exposure to new chemicals or new biotic communities, and hybridization between lineages that would have never come into contact naturally. There are still important knowledge gaps however, such as the lack of experimental tests to distinguish adaptation from acclimation processes, the lack of studies to understand the putative threats of port lineages to natural populations, or to better understand the outcomes and fitness effects of anthropogenic hybridization. We thus call for further research examining "biological portuarization", defined as the repeated evolution of marine species in port-ecosystems under human-altered selective pressures. Furthermore, we argue that ports act as giant mesocosms often isolated from the open sea by seawalls and locks, and so provide replicated life-size evolutionary experiments essential to support predictive evolutionary sciences.
Transmissible cancer, a unique form of microparasites that spreads through direct transmission of living cancer cells, is increasingly reported in marine bivalves. In this study, we sought to understand the ecology of the propagation of Mytilus trossulus Bivalve Transmissible Neoplasia 2 (MtrBTN2), a transmissible cancer affecting four Mytilus mussel species worldwide. We investigated the prevalence of MtrBTN2 in the mosaic hybrid zone of M. edulis and M. galloprovincialis along the French Atlantic coast, sampling contrasting natural and anthropogenic habitats. We observed a similar prevalence in both species, likely due to the proximity of the two species in this region. Our results showed that ports had higher prevalence of MtrBTN2, with a hotspot observed at a shuttle landing dock. No cancer was found in natural beds except for two sites around the hotspot, suggesting spillover. Ports may provide favourable conditions for the transmission of MtrBTN2, such as high mussel density, confined sheltered shores, or buffered temperatures. Ships may also spread the disease through biofouling, with maritime traffic being the best predictor of MtrBTN2 prevalence. Our results suggest ports may serve as epidemiological hubs, with maritime routes providing artificial gateways for MtrBTN2 propagation. This highlights the importance of preventing biofouling on docks and ships hulls to limit the spread of marine pathogens.
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