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ABSTRACT
Harbours are important sites for the containment and dispersal of invasive species throughout the world, so the study of life history traits of species is important to understand the success of their invasion and their potential effects on the habitat. In recent years several invasive species have been reported in Argentinian harbours; however, studies of the ecology and life history of these species are scarce. We studied the population dynamics and reproductive biology of Monocorophium acherusicum and Ericthonius punctatus, in order to update the published information on the introduced amphipods in Mar del Plata harbour. Both species showed a seasonal pattern characterized by high densities in warmer months, related to the highest reproductive activity and the increase of recruitment in summer and early autumn, and lower densities in the cold season. The sex ratio was always female-biased and the number of eggs carried by females was positively correlated to the size. The present study suggests that both species have colonized Mar del Plata harbour successfully, showing viable populations (cohorts of juveniles, males, females and ovigerous females). This work provides the basis for monitoring the impact generated by introduced amphipods over the existing fauna.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank to Dra Gloria Alonso and Dr Enrique Boschi for providing valuable bibliographic material and Club Naútico de Mar del Plata for facilitating access to the docks. Two anonymous referees provided useful comments which contributed to improve the final version of the manuscript.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
