Summary
Recent surveys of invertebrates in many coastal areas throughout the world demonstrate the ever-increasing rate of introduction of nonindigenous ascidians. Harbors, with their protected waters and large marinas, are usually the entry points for organisms carried in ballast water or on boat hulls. Marina floats, harbor buoys and boat hulls provide a huge surface area for settlement. Introductions may be further aided by transport of contaminated shells or live bivalves between mariculture facilities. Many ascidians reach sexual maturity and produce a second generation in just a few weeks. This review summarizes the results of recent studies of coastal areas, ballast water and harbor structures in many parts of the world, and sampling of U.S. Navy drydocks recently moved between major Pacific ports. Some of these studies include companion surveys of neighboring natural shallow environments. Most natural areas appear to have resisted invasions of nonindigenous ascidians except where perturbation has resulted in a decrease in species diversity.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bak, RPM (1998) Bacterial suspension feeding by coral reef benthic organisms. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 175:285–288
Berman J, Harris L, Lambert W, Buttrick M Dufresne M (1992) Recent invasions of the Gulf of Maine: three contrasting ecological histories. Conserv Biol 6:435–441
Boyd HC, Weissman IL, Saito Y (1990) Morphologic and genetic verification that Monterey Botryllus and Woods Hole Botryllus are the same species. Biol Bull 178:239
Brewin B (1946) Ascidians in the vicinity of the Portobello Marine Biological Station, Otago Harbour. Trans Roy Soc NZ 76:87–131
Brock R, Bailey-Brock JH, Goody J (1999) A case study of efficacy of freshwater immersion in controlling introduction of alien marine fouling communities: the USS Missouri. Pacific Sci 53:223–231
Carlton JT, Geller JB (1993) Ecological roulette: the global transport of nonindigenous marine organisms. Science 261:78–82
Cohen A, Mills C, Berry H, Wonham M, Bingham B, Bookheim B, Carlton J, Chapman J, Cordell J, Harris L, Klinger T, Kohn A, Lambert C, Lambert G, Li K, Secord D, Toft J (1998) Report of the Puget Sound Expedition Sept. 8–16, 1998; A Rapid Assessment Survey of Non-indigenous Species in the Shallow Waters of Puget Sound. Wash State Dept Nat Res, Olympia, WA
Coles SL, DeFelice RC, Eldredge LG, Carlton JT (1999) Historical and recent introductions of non-indigenous marine species into Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaiian Islands. Mar Biol 135:147–158
Connell SD (2000) Floating pontoons create novel habitats for subtidal epibiota. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 247:183–194
Drake JA, Mooney HA, di Castri F, Groves RH, Kruger FJ, Rejmanek M, Williamson M (eds) (1989) Biological Invasions: A Global Perspective. John Wiley & Sons
Glasby TM (2000) Surface composition and orientation interact to affect subtidal epibiota. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 248:177–190
Grave C, Woodbridge H (1924) Botryllus schlosseri (Pallas): the behavior and morphology of the free-swimming larva. J Morphol Physiol 39:207–247
Holmes N (1976) Occurrence of the ascidian Styela clava Herdman in Hobsons Bay, Victoria: a new record for the southern hemisphere. Proc Roy Soc Vict 88:115–116
Lambert CC, Lambert G (1998) Non-indigenous ascidians in southern California harbors and marinas. Mar Biol 130:675–688
Lambert G (2000) Chapt. 9C10. Focal taxonomic collections: ascidians. In: Hines AH, Ruiz GM (eds) Biological invasions of cold-water coastal ecosystems: ballast-mediated introductions in Port Valdez/ Prince William Sound, Alaska. Smithsonian Env Res Center, Edgewater, MD
Monniot F (1983) Ascidies littorales de Guadeloupe I. Didemnidae. Bull Mus natl Hist nat Paris 4e ser., vol. 5:5–49
Naranjo SA, Carballo JL, Garcia-Gomez JC (1996) Effects of environmental stress on ascidian populations in Algeciras Bay (southern Spain). Possible marine bioindicators? Mar Ecol Prog Ser 144:119–131
Nomaguchi TA, Nishijima C, Minowa S, Hashimoto M, Haraguchi C, Amemiya S, Fujisawa H (1997) Embryonic thermosensitivity of the ascidian, Ciona savignyi. Zool Sci 14:511–516
Paulay G, Kirkendale L, Lambert G, Starmer J (1999) The marine invertebrate biodiversity of Apra Harbor: significant areas and introduced species, with focus on sponges, echinoderms and ascidians. Prepared for Naval Activities Guam, under Cooperative Agreement N68711–97-LT-70001
Plough HH (1978) Sea Squirts of the Atlantic Continental Shelf from Maine to Texas. Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, Baltimore, MD
Schoener A (1982) Artificial substrates in marine environments. In: Artificial Substrates, J. Cairns Jr. (ed) Ann Arbor Sci Publ Inc., pp 1–22
Sims LL (1984) Osmoregulatory capabilities of three macrosympatric stolidobranch ascidians, Styela clava Herdman, S. plicata (Lesueur), and S. montereyensis (Dall). J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 82:117–129
Sommerfeldt AD, Bishop JDD (1999) Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis reveals extensive natural chimerism in a marine protochordate. Molec Ecol 8:885–890
Stachowicz JJ, Whitlatch RB, Osman RW (1999) Species diversity and invasion resistance in a marine ecosystem. Science 286:1577–1579
Van Name WG (1945) The North and South American ascidians. Bull Am Mus Nat Hist 84:1–476
Williamson M (1996) Biological Invasions. Chapman and Hall, London
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2001 Springer Japan
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Lambert, G. (2001). A Global Overview of Ascidian Introductions and Their Possible Impact on the Endemic Fauna. In: Sawada, H., Yokosawa, H., Lambert, C.C. (eds) The Biology of Ascidians. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-66982-1_40
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-66982-1_40
Publisher Name: Springer, Tokyo
Print ISBN: 978-4-431-66984-5
Online ISBN: 978-4-431-66982-1
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive