Impacts of alien polychaete species in marine ecosystems: a systematic review

Abstract

This systematic review analysed scientific publications to identify relevant research about the impact of alien polychaete species around the world, using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis) guide. The criterion for inclusion was studies published in English, with the key terms (e.g. ‘impact’, ‘alien species’, ‘polychaetes’) in the title, abstract and keywords. The literature search was conducted in Scopus and Web of Science from April to December 2020. The search resulted in 150 papers that included information about impact of alien polychaete species. Of these studies, 98% were published in the last 25 years, reporting on the impact of 40 species in 18 regions of the world. Sixty-one per cent of the research was conducted in the Baltic Sea, South-west Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. The most frequent type of study was field surveys (46%) and the most studied system was open coast areas (36%). The species with the highest number of publications about their impacts were Ficopomatus enigmaticus, Marenzelleria viridis, Sabella spallanzanii and Boccardia proboscidea. Based on evidence of their most severe documented impacts in their introduced ranges, the impact mechanisms (IMos) of the alien polychaete species were strongly related to their biology and lifestyles. We found that species that build conspicuous reefs and tube-dwellers mainly showed physical and structural impact on ecosystems; shell-borers, mainly parasitism and infauna species, showed mainly chemical, physical and structural impacts on ecosystems. Some recommendations for the study of alien polychaete species are discussed.

Characterization of polychaetes inhabiting estuaries and inner bays by composition analysis of amino acids and lactate enantiomers

“…Polychaetes are invertebrates inhabiting various locations, including marine, brackish, and freshwater environments and coastal sediments, estuaries, and tidal flats. Polychaetes are a dominant group of benthic organisms 10 , 11 . However, the biological mechanisms underlying the life cycle events of polychaetes, such as spawning, growth, and adaptation to a rapidly changing environment remain unknown.…”

Searching for a Home Port in a Polyvectic World: Molecular Analysis and Global Biogeography of the Marine Worm Polydora hoplura (Annelida: Spionidae)

“…Despite a long history of studies of these worms, the specific identification of the worms involved often remains problematic. Transported and introduced globally with aquaculture products [ 6 , 7 , 8 ] and other vectors, polydorins were often poorly described, misidentified or mistakenly redescribed as new species. Genetic characteristics are very helpful and sometimes crucial for the identification of shell-boring polydorins when morphological features are few and ambiguous [ 9 ].…”