Factors influencing the en route survivorship and post-voyage growth of a common ship biofouling organism, Bugula neritina

Abstract

The likelihood that viable non-indigenous biofouling species will survive a voyage on a vessel is influenced by a range of factors, including the speed, duration, and route of the voyage and the amount of time the vessel spends in port. In this study, a land-based dynamic flow device was used to test the effect of recruit age, vessel speed and voyage duration on the survivorship and growth of the bryozoan Bugula neritina. In the experiment, one-week-old recruits had a higher likelihood (100%) of surviving voyages than older (one–month-old, 90%) or younger (one-day-old, 79%) recruits, but survival was not influenced by vessel speed (6 and 18 knots) or voyage duration (two and eight days). The results suggest that the non-indigenous species B. neritina can be effectively transferred at a range of ages but one-week-old recruits are more likely to survive the translocation process and survive in the recipient environment.

Keywords:

• Bryozoan
• hull-fouling
• marine invasion
• survivorship
• voyage characteristics

Acknowledgements

Logistical support was provided by the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), Australia and the Cawthron Institute. The authors thank Graeme Inglis for comments on the draft manuscript.