Floating plastics as a potential dispersal vector for rafting marine non-native species
Marine species raft on floating litter, including various plastics, potentially spreading non-native species and threatening global marine habitats. Despite limited attention, Didemnum vexillum, an invasive colonial tunicate in Europe, colonised coasts of southwest Scotland (2009) and northeast Irel...
| Autores: | , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2024 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) |
| Repositorio: | DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:digital.csic.es:10261/378310 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/378310 https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85203047141 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Didemnum vexillum Ascidians Exotic species Ocean sprawl Plastics Dispersion |
| Sumario: | Marine species raft on floating litter, including various plastics, potentially spreading non-native species and threatening global marine habitats. Despite limited attention, Didemnum vexillum, an invasive colonial tunicate in Europe, colonised coasts of southwest Scotland (2009) and northeast Ireland (2012), likely transported via rafting. We studied D. vexillum survival and performance on three plastic types (Polyethylene, Polypropylene and Polystyrene) finding high survival rates over 42 days, with colonies thriving best on PS. Using these data, hydrodynamic and particle tracking models simulated dispersal from existing Irish Sea colonies, projecting potential rafting distances of up to ∼150 km for surface particles influenced by tide and wind, and half that for neutrally-buoyant mid-depth particles driven by tidal currents alone. Hence, the modelling supports the potential for dispersion of this species within the Irish Sea via rafting. This study highlights marine plastics as a vector that may facilitate widespread dispersal of non-native species. |
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