North Pacific Marine Science Organization, 14th Annual meeting, Workshop on Introduced Species in

the North Pacific.October 4-5, 2005. Vladivostok,

Russia

Xenodiversity Xenodiversity vsvs Biodiversity: Biodiversity: invasive alien species in European invasive alien species in European

coastal marine ecosystemscoastal marine ecosystems

SERGEJ OLENINCoastal Research and Planning Institute

Klaipeda University, Lithuaniaserg@gmf.ku.lt

Talk outline

• The concept of xenodiversity• Traits of invasive species• Vulnerability of coastal habitats

to invasions• Study of bioinvasions: a rapidly

growing science discipline

The concept of xenodiversity

• Xenodiversity(xenos, Greek – foreign, strange, alien):human-mediated addition of non-native species to local fauna and flora.

• Leppakoski, E. & Olenin, S., 2000. Xenodiversityof the European brackish water seas: the North American contribution. In: Proc. of the First

National Conference on Marine Bioinvasions. J.

Pederson (ed.). Boston, USA, 2000: 107-119

Aquatic species are intentionally or accidentally transported and released by man outside their native range for many centuries.

Photo: Rock ballast in a Viking ship

Origin of the Baltic Sea xenodiversity

North America

Ponto-Caspian

area

Other

E Asia, Indo-

Pacific

>110 spp recorded

~ 70 spp established

Three major donor regions

Matching of environmental conditions and availability of invasion corridors

Source: Leppäkoski, E. and Olenin, S., 2001. The meltdown of biogeographical peculiarities of the Baltic Sea: the interaction of

natural and manmade processes. Ambio, 30, 4-5.

The Pacific contribution to the xenodiversity

of the European brackish water (Baltic and Black) seas

• Approx. 30 species are of Pacific origin, among them:• Phytoplankton (Coscinodiscus wailesi, Odontella sinensis),• Benthic macroalgae (Bonnemaisonia hamifer, Codium fragile,

Sargassum muticum), • Parasitic nematode (Anguillicola crassus), • Polychaete (Ficopomatus enigmaticus), • Bivalves (Crassostrea gigas, Cunearca cornea, Paphia philippinarum,

Teredo navalis), • Gastropods (Potamopyrgus antipodarum, Rapana thomasiana),• Crab (Eriocheir sinensis),• Fish (Mugil soivy, Oncorhynchus species).

Source: Olenin, S. & E. Leppäkoski, 1997. The Pacific Ocean as a donor area of alien aquatic species to the European enclosed seas. IUCN. Invasive Species SGSSC. ALIENS Newsletter, No.6: 18

Xenodiversity at different levels of biological organization

LEVEL EFFECT EXAMPLE

GENETIC hybridization and addition of genetically modified organisms

Crassostrea virginica(Lyu & Allen 1999);Coregonus peled(Brzuzan & Luczynski 1999)

SPECIES addition of alien species, elimination of native species

Caulerpa taxifolia(Verlaque & Fritayre 1994);Cercopagis pengoi (Antsulevich & Valipakka 2000)

FUNCTIONAL -COMMUNITY

emergence of novel or unusual functions, changes in community structure, alterations of food webs and ecosystem functioning

Marenzelleria viridis(Kotta et al 2001);Mnemiopsis leidyi (Volovik et al 2000)

HABITAT -LANDSCAPE

habitat engineering, encrusting of solid objects, changes in bottom microtopography, alteration of biotope

Dreissena polymorpha(Karataev et al 2002);Crepidula fornicata(Minchin 1999)

Central questions in invasion Central questions in invasion ecology:ecology:

1. What species characteristics influence invasion success?

2. What makes the system susceptible to invasion?

Characteristics of invasive species

feeding mode of benthic invertebrates in native and alien

communities

Feeding mode of invasive benthic invertebrates in European Seas

OSF - obligatory suspension-feeders;

FSF – facultative suspension-feeders;

Other – predators, deposit feeders and macrophytegrazers;

n = total number of species

Source: Olenin, S. Daunys, D., 2005. In: The Comparative Roles of Suspension-Feeders in Ecosystems. Dame, R. and Olenin, S. (ed-s). NATO Science Series. Earth and Environmental Series – Vol. 47. Springer, 2005: 238-256

Suspension feeders in native communities

Source: Asmus H. & Asmus R., 2005.In: The Comparative Roles of Suspension-Feeders in Ecosystems. Dame, R. and Olenin, S. (ed-s). NATO Science Series. Earth and Environmental Series – Vol. 47. Springer, 2005: 238-256

The relatively low share of suspension-feeders in total species richness at different scales, from global to local

Conclusion from the study on feeding modes of invasive

benthic invertebrates • Suspension feeding is the most common feeding type among

the invasive benthic invertebrate species. It occurs much more

frequently than in native communities.

• This pattern is true for all European brackish water bodies as

well as for fully saline seas.

• If the rate and the scope of invasions remain at the recent high

level then the role of suspension-feeding as a trophic type will

grow in the future in coastal ecosystems.

How the species ability to filter-feed may promote their

invasion success?• Possibly, suspension-feeding as the most optimal foraging

strategy (Gili & Coma 1998) adds to other common traits of

invaders: ecological plasticity, profitable reproductive strategy,

ability to use different substrates, etc (Ruiz and Hewitt 2002).

• Increased pelagic food through eutrophication may also

promote the relative success of suspension-feeder invaders,

especially in the coastal areas, which are mostly exposed to

new introductions.

What makes the system susceptible to invasion?

InvasibilityInvasibility of a habitat will of a habitat will increase if:increase if:

•• a community in the habitat lacks certain species, a community in the habitat lacks certain species, which ought to be present under normal conditions which ought to be present under normal conditions (“there are vacant niches”);(“there are vacant niches”);

•• a habitat is disturbed, due to natural or anthropogenic a habitat is disturbed, due to natural or anthropogenic factors;factors;

•• an ecosystem properties are altered due to previous an ecosystem properties are altered due to previous introductions, operating as a disturbance agent, introductions, operating as a disturbance agent,

•• there is an increased amount of unused resources, there is an increased amount of unused resources, e.g. due toe.g. due to eutrophicationeutrophication..

Based on: Drake 1989, 1991; Vitousek et al. 1997; Brooks 1999; Simberloff & VonHolle 1999; Davis et al. 2000; Ruiz et al. 1999, Nehring 2002; Van der Velde et al. 2002; Ruiz & Hewitt 2002.

Study area:Study area:the Lithuanian offshore and coastal waters, including thethe Lithuanian offshore and coastal waters, including the

CuronianCuronian LagoonLagoonKlaipeda port area

Depths, m: max 14 m (artificial);

Salinity, psu:0,5<S<8,0

Native macrofauna species richness:~20 speciesopen sea areas

Depths, m: max 80 m;

Salinity, psu:6,0<S<8,0

Native macrofauna species richness:~60 species

Curonian Lagoon

Depths, m: mean 3,5 m; max 5 m;

Salinity, psu:0,5<S<3,0

Native macrofauna species richness:~110 species

Selection of habitatsSelection of habitatsHELCOM 1998:Red list of Marine and Coastal Biotopes and Biotope Complexes of the Baltic Sea. Baltic Sea Environment Proceedings, No.75

• Bottom types:• Stones, Sand, Mud, Gravel, Shell deposits

• Separately for the Curonian Lagoon and for the Baltic Sea

• Littoral and sublittoral habitats

• In the Sea: • habitats within euphotic and aphotic layers• above and below halocline

• In addition: artificial rock and stone habitats for the Sea, Lagoon and for Klaipeda port area

• In total: 23 habitat types selected

Selection of alien species

• Baltic Sea Alien Species Database

• Benthic macrofaunaonly

– phytoplankton, macrophytes, fish, birds and mammals excluded

• In total: 19 specieswww.ku.lt/www.ku.lt/nemonemo//mainnemomainnemo

Material: a) biological monitoring data since 1980; b) episodic surveys in the Lagoon, open coast and Klaipeda port areas

Alien species richness in the Lagoon vs the open sea habitats

Null hypothesis:No. of NIS in the Lagoon and in the open sea habitats is equal

Alternative hypothesis 1 (A1):No. of NIS in the Lagoon and in the open sea habitats is not equal

Alternative hypothesis 2 (A2):No. of NIS in the Lagoonis higher than in the open sea

habitats

Mann –Witney (Wilcoxon) W test: A1 p<<0.01; A2 p<<0.01. Reject the null hypothesis

Alien richness in the Curonian Lagoon habitats (max up to 15 species per habitat) is significantly higher than in the

open sea habitats (max 4 species)

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Art-S

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POR

T (0

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Sand

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l Li L

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Mud

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Habitat type

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What are the most invaded What are the most invaded habitats?habitats?

Artificial rock and stone habitats Artificial rock and stone habitats in the Klaipeda port and in the Curonian Lagoonin the Klaipeda port and in the Curonian Lagoon

Sand, mud and shell deposits habitats modified Sand, mud and shell deposits habitats modified by the invasive zebra mussel by the invasive zebra mussel Dreissena Dreissena

polymorphapolymorpha in the Curonian Lagoonin the Curonian Lagoon

The most invaded habitats: modified either by man or by invasive species

Breakwaters, Breakwaters, embankments, peers in embankments, peers in Klaipeda port and in the Klaipeda port and in the Curonian LagoonCuronian Lagoon

Clusters of living zebra Clusters of living zebra mussels and their shells mussels and their shells

on muddy bottoms on muddy bottoms provide food and shelter provide food and shelter

for many native and for many native and alien invertebratesalien invertebrates Zebra mussels shell Zebra mussels shell

deposits in the deposits in the Curonian LagoonCuronian Lagoon

Are species rich communities more resistant

to alien invasions?

Native Native vsvs alien species richness alien species richness in all (open sea + lagoon) habitatsin all (open sea + lagoon) habitats

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

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habitat type

Num

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invasive speciesnative species

Native vs alien y = 0,1723x + 2,6246R2 = 0,2245

02468

10121416

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

Number of native species

Num

ber o

f alie

n sp

ecie

s

correlation coefficient = 0.47,correlation coefficient = 0.47,p=0.04 (<a), statistically significantp=0.04 (<a), statistically significant

Paradox: the higher is the native richness the Paradox: the higher is the native richness the higher is the alien richness!higher is the alien richness!

The native species richness was the The native species richness was the highest in the habitats modified by highest in the habitats modified by

the invasive zebra musselsthe invasive zebra mussels

0

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1 5

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2 53 0

3 5

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Conclusions from the study of “habitat’s invasibility”:

•• There is no evidence of higherThere is no evidence of higher invasibilityinvasibility of of habitats with low species richnesshabitats with low species richness(Baltic is a special case?);(Baltic is a special case?);

•• Coastal lagoon habitats are much moreCoastal lagoon habitats are much moreinvasibleinvasible than the open sea habitats;than the open sea habitats;

•• Modified habitats (either by man or by previous Modified habitats (either by man or by previous invasions) are the most vulnerable to invasions, invasions) are the most vulnerable to invasions, and therefore…and therefore…

•• Coastal lagoons and inlets, port areas should be Coastal lagoons and inlets, port areas should be in the focus of the alien species monitoring in the focus of the alien species monitoring system.system. Source: Olenin, S. & Zaiko, A., in prep.

Global problem –interdisciplinary approach:invasive species and marine biodiversity research agenda

BioinvasionBioinvasion research: research: biological and ecological aspectsbiological and ecological aspects

• Biogeography– Patterns of invasions, alien species inventories, vectors, invasive corridors...

• Ecophysiology and autecology– Salinity/oxygen tolerance, life strategies, reproduction mode…

• Functional ecology– Benthic-pelagic interaction, trophodynamic of invaded ecosystems, habitat

changes…

• Molecular genetics– Origin of invasive species and pathways, hybridisation process, implications for

micro-evolution and macroevolution

BioinvasionBioinvasion research: research: sociosocio--economic and technological economic and technological

aspectsaspects• Ecological economics

– estimation of costs related to bioinvasions…

• Technical/technological aspects– e.g. ship ballast water treatment options, invasion risk assessment

schemes...

• Administrative/legislative aspects– e.g. development of national and international administrative rules and

legislative acts

• IT aspects– Databases, decision support systems...

Book InitiativeBook Initiative

>100 >100 authors authors from 24 from 24

countriescountries

Kluwer Academic Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2002Publishers, 2002

www.ku.lt/nemo/mainnemo

Overall conclusion

• The study of invasions in coastal marine systems, now being a rapidly growing ecological discipline only really began a little more than two decades ago.

• The scientific interest is in great deal driven by practical needs due to serious ecological and economical consequences of bioinvasions.

• The problem of the biological invasions (“biological pollution”) became multidisciplinary, involving not only biological/ecological but also technical and socio-economic aspects.

Acknowledgements• North Pacific Marine Science Organization for

the travel grant• Projects:

– EU FW6 IP ALARM “Assessing large-scale environmental risks with tested methods”

– EU FW6 STREP DAISIE “Delivering Alien Invasive Species Inventories for Europe”

– GEF/ICES/HELCOM Baltic Sea Regional Project

Thank you for your attention!

ANY QUESTIONS?

Thank you for your attention!

ANY QUESTIONS?

Acknowledgement

This study was supported by the