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Intertidal invasion patterns in Canadian ports

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Abstract

The establishment of non-indigenous species (NIS) in natural ecosystems is a growing concern for preserving biodiversity at global, national, and regional scales. Due to commercial shipping activities, international ports serve as critical entry points for NIS and a source for secondary dispersal. Sixteen international ports in Canada representing both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts were surveyed to characterize intertidal NIS distributions. Intertidal species diversity of both NIS and native species were significantly different between the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, with higher NIS and native species diversity on the Pacific coast. However, our newly developed Invasive Species Index (a measure of the degree of invasion based on NIS and native species relative abundance) suggested that the Atlantic coast was comparatively more impacted by invasion. No direct link was found between commercial shipping activities (number of ship visits or total tonnage) and the distribution patterns of intertidal NIS in these ports. Instead, NIS distributions in port ecosystems were strongly related to latitude, salinity, sediment type, and human population size. In addition to commercial shipping, future research in conservation and management of invaded communities should consider environmental conditions and the risk posed by local anthropogenic activities (i.e. cumulative vector effects) when characterizing invasion dynamics.

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Acknowledgments

We are extremely grateful for the sampling team members: Heidi Gartner, Lu Guan, Christina Simkanin, and Matthew Thompson (Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network (CAISN) west coast sampling team), Chris McKindsey, Olivia Lacasse, Julie Sperl, and Katie Sanford (CAISN east coast sampling team). Taxonomic expertise was provided by John Chapman and James Carlton. Transport Canada vessel traffic data were provided by Sarah Bailey. This research study was conducted as a part of the CAISN network funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Additional funding for this research was provided by NSERC, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the University of British Columbia.

Funding

This study was funded by NSERC Network funding via Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, 2207 Main Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T1Z4, Canada

    Francis M. P. Choi, Cathryn Clarke Murray & Evgeny A. Pakhomov

  2. Marine Science Center, Northeastern University, 430 Nahant Road, Nahant, MA, USA

    Francis M. P. Choi

  3. North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES), P.O. Box 6000, Sidney, BC, V8L 4B2, Canada

    Cathryn Clarke Murray

  4. Pacific Biological Station, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 3190 Hammond Bay Road, Nanaimo, BC, V9T 6N7, Canada

    Thomas W. Therriault

  5. Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, 2202 Main Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T1Z4, Canada

    Evgeny A. Pakhomov

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  1. Francis M. P. Choi
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  2. Cathryn Clarke Murray
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Correspondence to Francis M. P. Choi.

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Responsible Editor: E. Briski.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Invasive Species.

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Choi, F.M.P., Murray, C.C., Therriault, T.W. et al. Intertidal invasion patterns in Canadian ports. Mar Biol 163, 183 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-016-2957-0

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