Spread of the invasive shell-boring annelid Polydora websteri (Polychaeta, Spionidae) into naturalised oyster reefs in t
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Spread of the invasive shell-boring annelid Polydora websteri (Polychaeta, Spionidae) into naturalised oyster reefs in the European Wadden Sea Andreas M. Waser 1 & Dagmar Lackschewitz 1 & Jeffrey Knol 2 & Karsten Reise 1 & K. Mathias Wegner 1 David W. Thieltges 2
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Received: 14 May 2020 / Revised: 1 July 2020 / Accepted: 6 July 2020 # The Author(s) 2020
Abstract With globally growing aquaculture activities, the co-introduction of parasites alongside large-scale movements of commercial species poses an increasing risk for marine ecosystems. Here, we present the first record of the shell-boring polychaete Polydora websteri Hartman in Loosanoff and Engle, 1943 in invasive Pacific oysters Crassostrea (Magallana) gigas (Thunberg, 1793) in the European Atlantic Ocean. In October 2014, mud blisters in the shells of wild Pacific oysters and specimens of a spionid polychaete were observed in close proximity to a commercial oyster farm at the island of Sylt (Germany) in the European Wadden Sea. Subsequent investigations indicated that these blisters only occurred near the farm and that no other mollusc species were affected. Morphological and molecular analysis identified the polychaete as Polydora websteri, a species that nowadays widely occurs around the globe, but likely is native to the Asian Pacific. Later sampling activities detected P. websteri also at other locations around Sylt as well as in the Dutch part of the Wadden Sea at the island of Texel. The number of polychaetes in the oysters was, however, relatively low and mostly below 10 individuals per oyster. Together, this evidence suggests that P. websteri is currently extending its range. As the introduction of P. websteri may have severe ecological and economic implications, this study aims to alert others to look for P. websteri at Western European coasts within farmed or wild Pacific oysters to further document its spread. Keywords Aquaculture . Co-introduction . Crassostrea gigas . Mud blister . Parasitism
Introduction Global trade has increased enormously during the last decades resulting in an unparalleled introduction of species across the planet (Vitousek et al. 1996; Mack et al. 2000). Besides transport in vessel ballast water or as hull fouling on ships, direct and indirect introductions via aquaculture activities are the Communicated by P. Lana * Andreas M. Waser [email protected] 1
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Wadden Sea Station Sylt, Hafenstraße 43, 25992 List, Sylt, Germany
2
Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University, PO Box 59, 1790 Den Burg, AB, Netherlands
most important invasion vectors for marine ecosystems (Katsanevakis et al. 2013). The latter occur mainly via the deliberate import of commercial species and the subsequent transfer of farmed specimens between aquaculture sites. For example, the culture of marine molluscs has frequently been described as a gateway for species introductions as it is often acc
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