Barcodes of marine invertebrates from north Iberian ports: Native diversity and resistance to biological invasions

Abstract

Ports are gateways for many marine organisms transported by ships worldwide, especially non-indigenous species (NIS). In this study carried out in North Iberian ports (Cantabrian Sea, Bay of Biscay) we have observed 38% of exotic macroinvertebrates. Four species, namely the barnacle Austrominius modestus, the tubeworm Ficopomatus enigmaticus, the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas and the pygmy mussel Xenostrobus securis, exhibited clear signs of invasiveness. A total of 671 barcode (cytochrome oxidase subunit I or 18S rRNA) genes were obtained and confirmed the species status of some cryptic NIS. Negative and significant correlation between diversity estimators of native biota and proportion of NIS suggests biotic resistance in ports. This could be applied to management of port biota for contributing to prevent the settlement of biopollutants in these areas which are very sensitive to biological invasions.

Metabarcoding and post-sampling strategies to discover non-indigenous species: A case study in the estuaries of the central south Bay of Biscay

“…The current Spanish invasive species catalogue (BOE, 2013) includes only one (Crepidula) of the exotic genera found in these estuaries using NGS and metabarcoding. This motivated a specific postsampling strategy for detecting Crepidula spp.in Asturias with more intense scrutiny of the Villaviciosa estuary, where C. fornicata had not been previously described (Miralles et al, 2016).…”

“…From 1998 to 2009, it was found in the four Rías Baixas and in the Ría del Ferrol in Galicia (Rolán & Trigo, 2007;Besteiro, Urgorri, Moreira, & Díaz-Agras, 2009). In Asturias, there was one previous report, without any genetic assessment, of C. fornicata in the Eo estuary (Arias, Richter & Anadón, 2012) and one piece of genetic evidence of the species in Figueras Port in the same estuary in 2016 (Miralles et al, 2016).…”

“…Ruditapes in Habtemariam, Arias, García-Vázquez, & Borrell (2015)). Recent barcoding analyses have revealed that approximately 35% of more than 600 marine invertebrates in eight coastal areas and ports in the Bay of Biscay (Asturias) are exotic species (Pejovic et al, 2016;Miralles et al, 2016). At the same time, Asian exotic red seaweeds, which probably accompanied species of farmed oysters, have recently been reported in the area (Montes, Rico, García-Vázquez, & Borrell, 2016).…”

DNA in a bottle—Rapid metabarcoding survey for early alerts of invasive species in ports

“…For example, the invasive species Crepidula fornicata almost destroyed the oyster farms in Brittany [ 5 ]. Ports and marinas are perhaps the keystones in maritime biosecurity [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. They are hubs of maritime traffic where vessels of all the continents stop for days or months.…”

First record of the non-indigenous bryozoan Amathia verticillata (delle Chiaje, 1822) (Bryozoa, Vesiculariidae) in the southern Mexican Pacific

“…This is important because it is still unclear if A. verticillata is a widespread species or a complex of cryptic species (Nascimento 2015, Waeschenbach et al 2015. To date, only few studies (Nascimento 2015, Waeschenbach et al 2015, Miralles et al 2016, Santos et al 2017 have confirmed the identity of the bryozoan from 6 countries (Australia, Brazil, Italy, Mexico, Spain, and the USA) using molecular analyses. Applying this type of approach to Mexican specimens will not only allow a more accurate identification, but also give evidence on the introduction and dispersal of this species in the country.…”