Journal article 22654 views 102 downloads
Fouling communities and non-native species within five ports along the Bristol Channel, South Wales, UK
Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Volume: 252, Start page: 107295
Swansea University Authors: Sam Holmes, Ruth Callaway
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DOI (Published version): 10.1016/j.ecss.2021.107295
Abstract
Non-native species (NNS) are widely regarded to be one of the major threats to the loss of biodiversity worldwide.Maritime trade is the primary pathway for the transport and introduction of aquatic NNS around the world,and ports are central to this network. Our knowledge of port communities and the...
| Published in: | Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science |
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| ISSN: | 0272-7714 |
| Published: |
Elsevier BV
2021
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| Online Access: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa56373 |
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| Abstract: |
Non-native species (NNS) are widely regarded to be one of the major threats to the loss of biodiversity worldwide.Maritime trade is the primary pathway for the transport and introduction of aquatic NNS around the world,and ports are central to this network. Our knowledge of port communities and the NNS they contain is limited,with ports often remaining unsurveyed for decades, which was the case within the studied region. Settlementplates were deployed for 10–11 months at five commercial ports along the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary inSouth Wales, UK. We report unique communities in each of the ports with salinity being the main driver fordifferences among locations. Eleven NNS were identified across all ports with non-native to native speciesproportions ranging from 0.13 to 0.33 in each port. Most of these NNS are known to exist in the region and are‘established’ species within the UK. High variation in community structure and NNS composition among all portsindependent of geographic proximity highlights the importance of monitoring individual ports with a view toimplementing bespoke, effective NNS management strategies. |
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| Keywords: |
Alien species, Artificial harbours, Maritime trade, Fouling organisms, Community composition, Biological surveys |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
Associated British Ports, Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarships (KESS 2), European Social Fund (ESF) via the Welsh Government |
| Start Page: |
107295 |