109
© The Author(s) 2018
S. Jungblut et al. (eds.), YOUMARES 8 – Oceans Across Boundaries: Learning from each other,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93284-2_8
How Do They Do It? – Understanding
the Success of Marine Invasive Species
Jonas C. Geburzi and Morgan L. McCarthy
Abstract
From the depths of the oceans to the shallow estuaries and
wetlands of our coasts, organisms of the marine environment are teeming with unique adaptations to cope with a
multitude of varying environmental conditions. With millions of years and a vast volume of water to call their
home, they have become quite adept at developing specialized and unique techniques for survival and – given
increasing human mediated transport – biological invasions. A growing world human population and a global
economy drives the transportation of goods across the
oceans and with them invasive species via ballast water
and attached to ship hulls. In any given 24-hour period,
there are about 10,000 species being transported across
different biogeographic regions. If any of them manage to
take hold and establish a range in an exotic habitat, the
implications for local ecosystems can be costly. This
review on marine invasions highlights trends among successful non-indigenous species (NIS), from vectors of
transport to ecological and physiological plasticity. Apart
from summarizing patterns of successful invasions, it discusses the implications of how successfully established
NIS impact the local environment, economy and human
health. Finally, it looks to the future and discusses what
questions need to be addressed and what models can tell
us about what the outlook on future marine invasions is.
Introduction
The continuously rising numbers and extending ranges of
non-indigenous species (NIS) are today widely seen as a
major biological aspect of global change, affecting invaded
ecosystems, economy and even human health (Vitousek
et al. 1996; Ruiz et al. 2000; Simberloff et al. 2013). Marine
species have been anthropogenically introduced into new
habitats since humans travel overseas. However, only in the
past 150 years, and especially the latter half of the 20
th
century, technical advances and extreme increases in global
marine trade led to the exponential increase of marine species introductions (Carlton and Geller 1993; Bax et al. 2003).
Of the hundreds of species that get introduced to habitats
out of their native range, only a small fraction actually establishes permanently in their new environment. An even
smaller fraction reaches high population densities and/or
successfully disperses over wider ranges with adverse
impacts on the recipient system – being consequently termed
‘invasive species’ (Sakai et al. 2001; Colautti and MacIsaac
2004). The growing field of invasion biology uses various
approaches, e.g., ecology, physiology, evolution, and genetics, to investigate mechanisms and consequences of the
establishment of NIS. Finding answers to the questions what
makes certain species successful invaders and how invasion
processes actually happen is a main focus of invasion biology. These often include aspects that predict impacts of invasive species on the invaded communities and may disclose
starting points for possible management strategies (e.g.,
Bremner 2008; Williams and Grosholz 2008). Furthermore,
the study of biological invasions offers model systems to better understand general biological processes such as species
interactions, physiological and ecological adaptations, and
evolutionary processes (Ruiz et al. 2000; Stachowicz et al.
2002; Facon et al. 2006). While marine systems globally are
amongst the most heavily invaded ones, they have long been
underrepresented in invasion biology studies compared to
terrestrial and limnic systems. A main reason for this might
J. C. Geburzi (*)
Zoological Institute and Museum, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine
Research, Wadden Sea Station, List/Sylt, Germany
e-mail: jonas.geburzi@zoolmuseum.uni-kiel.de
M. L. McCarthy
School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland,
St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
Marine Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB),
Brussels, Belgium
e-mail: m.l.mccarthy@uq.net.au
© The Author(s) 2018
S. Jungblut et al. (eds.), YOUMARES 8 – Oceans Across Boundaries: Learning from each other,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93284-2_8
How Do They Do It? – Understanding
the Success of Marine Invasive Species
Jonas C. Geburzi and Morgan L. McCarthy
Abstract
From the depths of the oceans to the shallow estuaries and
wetlands of our coasts, organisms of the marine environment are teeming with unique adaptations to cope with a
multitude of varying environmental conditions. With millions of years and a vast volume of water to call their
home, they have become quite adept at developing specialized and unique techniques for survival and – given
increasing human mediated transport – biological invasions. A growing world human population and a global
economy drives the transportation of goods across the
oceans and with them invasive species via ballast water
and attached to ship hulls. In any given 24-hour period,
there are about 10,000 species being transported across
different biogeographic regions. If any of them manage to
take hold and establish a range in an exotic habitat, the
implications for local ecosystems can be costly. This
review on marine invasions highlights trends among successful non-indigenous species (NIS), from vectors of
transport to ecological and physiological plasticity. Apart
from summarizing patterns of successful invasions, it discusses the implications of how successfully established
NIS impact the local environment, economy and human
health. Finally, it looks to the future and discusses what
questions need to be addressed and what models can tell
us about what the outlook on future marine invasions is.
Introduction
The continuously rising numbers and extending ranges of
non-indigenous species (NIS) are today widely seen as a
major biological aspect of global change, affecting invaded
ecosystems, economy and even human health (Vitousek
et al. 1996; Ruiz et al. 2000; Simberloff et al. 2013). Marine
species have been anthropogenically introduced into new
habitats since humans travel overseas. However, only in the
past 150 years, and especially the latter half of the 20
th
century, technical advances and extreme increases in global
marine trade led to the exponential increase of marine species introductions (Carlton and Geller 1993; Bax et al. 2003).
Of the hundreds of species that get introduced to habitats
out of their native range, only a small fraction actually establishes permanently in their new environment. An even
smaller fraction reaches high population densities and/or
successfully disperses over wider ranges with adverse
impacts on the recipient system – being consequently termed
‘invasive species’ (Sakai et al. 2001; Colautti and MacIsaac
2004). The growing field of invasion biology uses various
approaches, e.g., ecology, physiology, evolution, and genetics, to investigate mechanisms and consequences of the
establishment of NIS. Finding answers to the questions what
makes certain species successful invaders and how invasion
processes actually happen is a main focus of invasion biology. These often include aspects that predict impacts of invasive species on the invaded communities and may disclose
starting points for possible management strategies (e.g.,
Bremner 2008; Williams and Grosholz 2008). Furthermore,
the study of biological invasions offers model systems to better understand general biological processes such as species
interactions, physiological and ecological adaptations, and
evolutionary processes (Ruiz et al. 2000; Stachowicz et al.
2002; Facon et al. 2006). While marine systems globally are
amongst the most heavily invaded ones, they have long been
underrepresented in invasion biology studies compared to
terrestrial and limnic systems. A main reason for this might
J. C. Geburzi (*)
Zoological Institute and Museum, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine
Research, Wadden Sea Station, List/Sylt, Germany
e-mail: jonas.geburzi@zoolmuseum.uni-kiel.de
M. L. McCarthy
School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland,
St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
Marine Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB),
Brussels, Belgium
e-mail: m.l.mccarthy@uq.net.au