Distribution and diversity of tunicates utilizing eelgrass as substrate in the western North Atlantic between 39° and 47° north latitude (New Jersey to Newfoundland)

Carman, Mary R.; Colarusso, Phillip D; Nelson, Eric P.; Grunden, David W.; Wong, Melisa C.; McKenzie, Cynthia H.; Matheson, Kyle; Davidson, Jeff; Fox, Sophia E.; Neckles, Hilary A.; Bayley, Holly; Schott, Stephen; Dijkstra, Jennifer A.; Stewart-Clark, Sarah

doi:10.3391/mbi.2016.7.1.07

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Available space is the limiting factor in many natural and artificial benthic habitats (Sebens, ), so this could result in greater competition for space and favor species that are strong competitors. It may also favor species that are able to utilize a wide range of substrates, including eelgrass, in order to gain a release from space competition (Carman et al., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of seawater temperature on growth and recruitment of invasive fouling species at the global scale

Lord

2016

Marine Ecology

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Epibenthic fouling communities are dominated by invasive species that are globally distributed and can have substantial ecological and economic impacts in coastal habitats. Little is known about inter-specific differences in life history strategies that cosmopolitan invasive species employ to acquire space and succeed in invaded habitats.The goal of this study was to examine the impact of seawater temperature on recruitment and growth of several cosmopolitan fouling species including the tunicates Botrylloides violaceus, Botryllus schlosseri and Diplosoma listerianum, as well as the bryozoans Bugula neritina and Watersipora subtorquata. To do this, the iBARGE (Invasive Bryozoan and Ascidian Recruitment and Growth Experiment) program was developed, utilizing a global network of collaborators to examine patterns over a broad geographic scale and a wide range of naturally varying seawater temperatures. This project produced a data set of thousands of photographs from 18 marinas in five countries in summer 2014 and 2015, allowing for recruitment and growth to be tabulated at a variety of temperatures. Thermal growth curves were established for five invasive species, and growth was compared among temperatures across sites, revealing a significant thermal effect. Recruitment was linked to temperature, with generally higher recruitment at warmer seawater temperatures and the highest peak recruitment values for the bryozoan Bugula neritina. Temperature also changed the relative importance of growth and recruitment for several species. These results paint a complex picture of the interactions among invasive fouling species as they relate to seawater temperature. K E Y W O R D S bryozoan, fouling, global warming, invasive species, temperature, tunicate

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of seawater temperature on growth and recruitment of invasive fouling species at the global scale

Lord

2016

Marine Ecology

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“…Colonial ascidians such as didemnids have also been observed growing on top of seagrass leaves, impeding photosynthesis (Carman & Grunden, 2010; Wong & Vercaemer, 2012; Worcester, 1994). In fact, the larger leaves of the Fijian seagrass Syringodium isoetifolium (De los Santos et al, 2016), the Australian and Mediterranean Posidonia species (Beqiraj et al, 2008; De los Santos et al, 2016; Demers et al, 2016), and the tropical Thalassia hemprichii (Carman et al, 2016; De los Santos et al, 2016; Millar, 1962) are often fouled by colonial ascidians and also encrusting bryozoans (Wong & Vercaemer, 2012; Worcester, 1994). Conversely, in this study, all colonial specimens were attached to rocks and shells within seagrass meadows but not to the plants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result of ascidian fouling, the amount of photosynthetically active radiation that reaches seagrass leaves is reduced, leading to increased shading and the detachment of shoots (Brush & Nixon, 2002; Bulthuis & Woelkerling, 1983). Moreover, non‐native opportunistic ascidians have often been observed in seagrass beds (Carman et al, 2016; Carman & Grunden, 2010; Simpson et al, 2016; Worcester, 1994), which may serve as stepping stones to access the reef from the harbors where they were introduced, further threatening the health and integrity of natural ecosystems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ascidian diversity and abundance in North Carolina seagrass meadows

Surprenant,

Jarvis,

López‐Legentil

2023

Marine Ecology

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Ascidians are sessile marine invertebrates found all over the world in a variety of natural and artificial habitats. The objective of this study was to provide the first inventory of ascidian diversity and abundance in North Carolina (NC) seagrass meadows. Eight sites along the NC coast were surveyed in May and June 2021 and at each site, 20 quadrats were deployed. All ascidian species within the quadrats were counted and identified based on morphological characterization and sequencing of the barcoding gene. Seagrass percent cover, biomass, and shoot density were also quantified. Ascidians were found in six sites and four species were recorded: the solitary species Molgula manhattensis, Styela plicata, and Bostrichobranchus sp., and the colonial Didemnum lutarium. Colonial specimens were generally attached to hard substrate, while solitary species were often found attached to seagrass rhizomes and leaves. S. plicata and M. manhattensis haplotype diversity were equivalent to previous descriptions from individuals collected on artificial substrates and other locations. Ascidian abundance was positively correlated with seagrass biomass but not with seagrass percent cover. A fifth species, the solitary Styela canopus, appeared in a site revisited in October 2021. Temperate ascidians are known to have seasonal cycles, thus further research should include monthly surveys to assess ascidian diversity and abundance over time.

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“…These communities provide an excellent, experimentally tractable model system to test ecological theories about community assembly, physiological stress, ecosystem function, and biotic interactions in estuarine, as well as fully marine, systems (e.g., Altman & Whitlatch, 2007; Freestone et al, 2013; Osman, 1977; Stachowicz & Byrnes, 2006; Stachowicz et al, 1999). Although the species in this community dominate piers and marinas, they also establish on other invertebrates, seagrass blades, cobbles, exposed bedrock, and hard mud, and can greatly affect foundation species and estuarine functions (Aldred & Clare, 2014; Carman et al, 2016; Fitridge et al, 2012; Forrest et al, 2013; Long & Grosholz, 2015; Ruiz et al, 1999). Common non‐native sessile invertebrates in Tomales Bay include Botrylloides violaceus (colonial ascidian), Bugula nertina (arborescent bryozoan), Ciona robusta (solitary ascidian), Didemnum vexillum (colonial ascidian), and Watersipora subtorquata (encrusting bryozoan).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological invasions alter consumer–stress relationships along an estuarine gradient

Rubinoff

Grosholz

2022

Ecology

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Estuaries represent steep stress gradients for aquatic organisms, with abiotic stress due to temperature and salinity typically increasing with distance into estuary. Invertebrate communities and their predators are strongly influenced by these stress gradients. The environmental stress model predicts that the importance of predation in structuring communities decreases with increasing environmental stress. Estuaries contain a stress gradient for marine organisms this includes salinity, temperature, and other abiotic properties. Additionally, estuaries are hotspots for biological invasions; increased stress tolerance among non‐native species could change the predictions of the environmental stress model. In this study, we investigate how introduced species alter the predictions of the environmental stress model by examining the effects of predators on sessile invertebrates across an estuarine gradient. To do this, we deployed recruitment plates across the estuarine gradient of Tomales Bay, California, USA using various caging treatments over the summer of 2019. We found that the effect of predation changed across sites, with the mid‐estuary site experiencing the greatest reductions in prey abundance and prey species richness when exposed to predators. This was likely to be due to higher proportions of non‐native prey and predator taxa mid‐estuary, including solitary ascidians, which are highly susceptible to predation. Overall, predation did not follow the predictions of the environmental stress model, but rather followed the abundance of functional groups with non‐native species, whose distribution could be mediated by environmental stress gradients. We suggest that this may be a general result and that communities subject to large numbers of stress‐tolerant invaders may have high rates of consumption in high stress areas, contrasting predictions by previous models.

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Distribution and diversity of tunicates utilizing eelgrass as substrate in the western North Atlantic between 39° and 47° north latitude (New Jersey to Newfoundland)

Cited by 9 publications

References 23 publications

Impact of seawater temperature on growth and recruitment of invasive fouling species at the global scale

Impact of seawater temperature on growth and recruitment of invasive fouling species at the global scale

Ascidian diversity and abundance in North Carolina seagrass meadows

Biological invasions alter consumer–stress relationships along an estuarine gradient

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