Propagule pressure determines recruitment from a commercial shipping pier

Abstract

Artificial structures associated with shipping and boating activities provide habitats for a diverse suite of non-indigenous marine species. Little is known about the proportion of invader success in nearby waters that is attributable to these structures. Areas close to piles, wharves and piers are likely to be exposed to increasing levels of propagule pressure, enhancing the recruitment of non-indigenous species. Recruitment of non-indigenous and native marine biofouling taxa were evaluated at different distances from a large commercial shipping pier. Since artificial structures also represent a desirable habitat for fish, how predation on marine invertebrates influences the establishment of non-indigenous and native species was also evaluated. The colonisation of several non-indigenous marine species declined rapidly with distance from the structure. Little evidence was found to suggest that predators have much influence on the colonisation success of marine sessile invertebrate species, non-indigenous or otherwise. It is suggested that propagule pressure, not predation, more strongly predicts establishment success in these biofouling assemblages.

Keywords:

• non-indigenous species
• colonization
• marine
• wharf
• predation
• biofouling

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank L. MacKenzie, K. Dafforn, M. Gall, M. Hing, G. Clark, E. Wagner and C. Hellyer for fieldwork assistance. This work was funded by an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant awarded to ELJ, and LHH was supported by an Australian Government Post-Graduate Award.