Abstract
The North American spionid polychaeteMarenzelleria cf.wireni was first recorded in the North Sea by Scotland in 1982.Marenzelleria cf.viridis was first found in the Baltic Sea in 1985. Tentative routes of dispersal since then are presented in this paper. In the Netherlands, a biological monitoring programme has revealed populations ofM. cf.wireni in the Ems estuary, Wadden Sea, and in the SW Netherlands. In the Dollard (Ems estuary) a large population has developed (2000–3000 individuals m−2; 8–16 g ash-free dry weight m−2). Since the introduction, the macrozoobenthic community has changed from being dominated (by biomass) by bivalves, to domination by polychaetes. Recently, a similar population started to develop at Balgzand (western Dutch Wadden Sea).
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Essink, K. Dispersal and development ofMarenzelleria spp. (Polychaeta, Spionidae) populations in NW Europe and The Netherlands. Helgolander Meeresunters 52, 367–372 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02908910
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02908910