Large-scale invasion of Marenzelleria spp. (Polychaeta; Spionidae) in the eastern Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea
In: Russian Journal of Biological Invasions. Springer Verlag: Berlin; Heidelberg. ISSN 2075-1117, more
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| Keywords |
Alien species
Diseases > Human diseases > Hypoxia
Sediment mixing > Bioturbation
Monoporeia affinis (Lindström, 1855) [WoRMS]
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| Author keywords |
invaders, bottom communities, macrozoobenthos, glacial relict crustaceans |
| Abstract |
Polychaetes of the genus Marenzelleria are among the most successful introduced species in the Baltic Sea. Invading it for the first time in 1985, they rapidly colonized the entire sea, where they are currently represented by three closely related species. They have been recorded in the Russian waters of the Gulf of Finland since 1996. Until 2009, the introduction of polychaetes (identified as Marenzelleria neglecta) in the Gulf of Finland was not accompanied by any considerable changes in bottom communities. High biomass of M. neglecta was observed only in shallow-water areas of limited size above the summer thermocline. In 2009, polychaetes first occupied deep-water areas, which was related to the invasion of M. arctia, an arctic member of the genus, new to the eastern Gulf of Finland. Abundant reproduction of this species led to a multiple increase in the biomass of the macrozoobenthos. The role of polychaetes was especially considerable in areas of the bottom periodically affected by hypoxia, where macrozoobenthos was previously absent or extremely depleted. Because of the invasion, a large area of the gulf became occupied by almost single-species macrozoobenthos. M. arctia is characterized by considerable bioturbation and bioirrigation activity, and the introduction of this species has given the deep-water areas of the gulf a new functional group of benthos. The polychaete invasion, owing to its considerable impact on the biogeochemical processes and trophic relations in the eastern Gulf of Finland, will probably lead over the next few years to a cardinal reorganization at the scale of the entire ecosystem. |
| Dataset |
- NISES: Non-indigenous (NIS) and cryptogenic species in European regional seas and adjacent areas, more
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