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The role of recreational activities in creating fragments of invasive Caulerpa taxifolia

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-17, 01:29 authored by West, EJ, Davis, AR, Barnes, PB, Jeffrey WrightJeffrey Wright
a b s t r a c t Article history: Received 10 December 2008 Received in revised form 20 May 2009 Accepted 25 May 2009 Keywords: Asexual propagules Boating Human vector Introduced species Swimming Once non-indigenous species are introduced to a new area, secondary spread is important in determining their ecological and economic impacts. Recreational activities may facilitate the secondary spread of invasive species by creating and transporting viable propagules, however to date there are few manipulative experiments that demonstrate the mechanistic basis of their impact. We examined the effect of two of the main aquatic recreational activities, boating and swimming, on the abundance of propagules (fragments) of the invasive green alga, Caulerpa taxifolia in southeastern Australia. Surveys of two infested estuaries each with locations of different levels of recreational activity demonstrated that locations with high recreational activity had a significantly greater abundance and biomass of fragments than locations with low recreational activity. Manipulative experiments using beyond BACI type designs showed that both boating and swimming created fragments. A single pass of a motor-boat over C. taxifolia beds significantly increased the biomass of fragments, but only in shallow water. Similarly, swimming in C. taxifolia beds for 5 min significantly increased the biomass of fragments, but only when background levels of fragments were low. This study has provided the first manipulative experiments confirming that recreational activities such as boating and swimming can create propagules of aquatic invasive species. These findings provide scientific justification for targeting management efforts to minimize secondary spread of aquatic invasive species by restricting recreational activities in invaded areas. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

History

Publication title

Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

Volume

376

Pagination

17-25

ISSN

0022-0981

Department/School

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies

Publisher

Elsevier Science Bv

Place of publication

Po Box 211, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1000 Ae

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Control of pests, diseases and exotic species in marine environments

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