217
length was 21.5 cm (full mean length estimated to 30.6 cm,
due to damaged tips) and the longest thallus was estimated to
be about 70 cm. Most individuals showed distinctive sporophylls and 88.9 % of them released spores. In laboratory
studies a new generation of sporophytes was successfully
grown from spores, released from a sporophyte collected in
October 2016. All these findings prove that a fertile and selfsustaining population has already established in the northern
Wadden Sea area. We will conduct further monitoring and
physiological studies as well as genetic analysis to predict its
potential further spread. Additionally, investigations on
interactions with native species will provide insights on the
effects on the native community.
7.2.3 Plastic as a Vector for Marine Invasive
Species in the Galapagos Archipelago, Ecuador
S. Doolittle-Llanos
1*
1
University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG
Groningen, Netherlands
*corresponding author: s.doolittle.llanos@student.rug.nl,
saradoolittlellanos@gmail.com
Keywords: Plastic, Marine invasive species, Vector,
Marine litter, Galapagos
On top of the well-known hazardous effects plastic litter
has for ecosystems all over the globe, it may also act as a
habitat and vector for marine fouling organisms to new environments, where they may spread and become invasive.
Fouling of plastic litter varies significantly with latitude,
with higher percentages of colonized items found closer to
the equator. This study attempts to determine how the
Galapagos Archipelago, Ecuador (marine reserve and
UNESCO World Heritage Site), is affected by this issue,
since it is hit by the Panama, Humboldt, and Cromwell currents, and is vulnerable to being reached by plastic debris
from the north, south, and west Pacific Ocean. During a
beach cleanup trip in collaboration with the Charles Darwin
Research Station, the Galapagos National Park, and
Conservation International, more than 1000 items of plastic
debris were collected at 7 sites across 4 islands, in which 108
species of five different taxa (bryozoa, barnacles, molluscs,
polychaetes, and crabs) were found and are to be identified
by colleagues at the Smithsonian Institution, USA. We provide the first description of observed fauna fouling on plastic
debris in the Galapagos Archipelago, an analysis of species
richness and total coverage of said fauna, and correlations of
species or taxonomic groups with certain characteristics of
the plastic. Additionally, the results show a difference in
abundance of colonized plastic among sites, suggesting some
may be naturally more exposed to invasions than others. We
also provide what is to the best of our knowledge, the first
record of two invasive species in other points of the world,
the barnacle Balanus trigonus, and the bryozoa Bugula neritina, on plastic debris in the field, showing that plastic colonization is indeed possible and might need to be considered
as a route in which these organisms are dispersing.
7.2.4 Alien Invasive Species Rafting on Floating
Plastic Litter
Sabine Rech
1*
, Yaisel J. Borrell
1
, Eva Garcia-Vazquez
1
1
Department of Functional Biology, Calle Julián Clavería
s/n, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
*corresponding author: rechsabine@uniovi.es
Keywords: Invasive species, Rafting biota, Marine plastic
pollution
Floating marine debris carrying fouling communities is a
transport vector for (possibly invasive) species. Since the
massive production and consumption of plastic products in
the last decades has led to ever increasing quantities of discarded plastics in the global marine environment, the availability of floating vectors for rafting biota has strongly
augmented. In the past, floating litter has usually not been
included in investigations of sources and pathways of alien
invasive species (AIS), but increasing evidence suggests that
it may be an important underlying factor of introductions, for
example, via canals and of secondary spread from areas
where AIS have been introduced by other means, like aquaculture areas or ports. Although AIS rafting on marine plastics is commonly reported, there is no broad understanding
of the dimension and underlying processes of this phenomenon, such as high-risk source and sink areas and anthropogenic activities, or high-risk vector items and materials. Here
we present the investigations carried out and results gained
on the phenomenon during the last 1.5 years of a PhD thesis
within the ongoing project AQUAINVAD-ED (Marie Curie
2014 ITN H2020 AQUAINVAD-ED; Grant agreement no
642197). We concentrate on aquaculture areas as sources of
rafting AIS on plastic litter. Rafting animals and the fouled
vectors were analyzed on beaches at three sites of bivalve
aquaculture in Italy and Portugal, including the Venice
lagoon, which is a hotspot of AIS. We found that the fouled
vectors (mostly plastics) carried a range of invasive species.
This shows that aquaculture areas are indeed high-risk areas
for the dispersal of invasive species via floating plastics and
should be included in future regulations and policies.
7.2.5 Modeling of Ballast Water Discharge
in the Arctic Ocean
Ingrid Linck Rosenhaim
1*
, Kathrin Riemann-Campe
1
,
Andreas Herber
1
, Rüdiger Gerdes
1
1
Alfred-Wegener Institute, Bussestraße 24, 27570
Bremerhaven, Germany
*corresponding author: Ingrid.linck-rosenhaim@awi.de
Keywords: Ballast water, Ocean-sea ice model, Invasive
species, Arctic Ocean, Shipping
Sea-ice concentration in the Arctic Ocean decreased 9%
per decade since 1978. With the decline of the sea-ice in the
Appendices
length was 21.5 cm (full mean length estimated to 30.6 cm,
due to damaged tips) and the longest thallus was estimated to
be about 70 cm. Most individuals showed distinctive sporophylls and 88.9 % of them released spores. In laboratory
studies a new generation of sporophytes was successfully
grown from spores, released from a sporophyte collected in
October 2016. All these findings prove that a fertile and selfsustaining population has already established in the northern
Wadden Sea area. We will conduct further monitoring and
physiological studies as well as genetic analysis to predict its
potential further spread. Additionally, investigations on
interactions with native species will provide insights on the
effects on the native community.
7.2.3 Plastic as a Vector for Marine Invasive
Species in the Galapagos Archipelago, Ecuador
S. Doolittle-Llanos
1*
1
University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG
Groningen, Netherlands
*corresponding author: s.doolittle.llanos@student.rug.nl,
saradoolittlellanos@gmail.com
Keywords: Plastic, Marine invasive species, Vector,
Marine litter, Galapagos
On top of the well-known hazardous effects plastic litter
has for ecosystems all over the globe, it may also act as a
habitat and vector for marine fouling organisms to new environments, where they may spread and become invasive.
Fouling of plastic litter varies significantly with latitude,
with higher percentages of colonized items found closer to
the equator. This study attempts to determine how the
Galapagos Archipelago, Ecuador (marine reserve and
UNESCO World Heritage Site), is affected by this issue,
since it is hit by the Panama, Humboldt, and Cromwell currents, and is vulnerable to being reached by plastic debris
from the north, south, and west Pacific Ocean. During a
beach cleanup trip in collaboration with the Charles Darwin
Research Station, the Galapagos National Park, and
Conservation International, more than 1000 items of plastic
debris were collected at 7 sites across 4 islands, in which 108
species of five different taxa (bryozoa, barnacles, molluscs,
polychaetes, and crabs) were found and are to be identified
by colleagues at the Smithsonian Institution, USA. We provide the first description of observed fauna fouling on plastic
debris in the Galapagos Archipelago, an analysis of species
richness and total coverage of said fauna, and correlations of
species or taxonomic groups with certain characteristics of
the plastic. Additionally, the results show a difference in
abundance of colonized plastic among sites, suggesting some
may be naturally more exposed to invasions than others. We
also provide what is to the best of our knowledge, the first
record of two invasive species in other points of the world,
the barnacle Balanus trigonus, and the bryozoa Bugula neritina, on plastic debris in the field, showing that plastic colonization is indeed possible and might need to be considered
as a route in which these organisms are dispersing.
7.2.4 Alien Invasive Species Rafting on Floating
Plastic Litter
Sabine Rech
1*
, Yaisel J. Borrell
1
, Eva Garcia-Vazquez
1
1
Department of Functional Biology, Calle Julián Clavería
s/n, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
*corresponding author: rechsabine@uniovi.es
Keywords: Invasive species, Rafting biota, Marine plastic
pollution
Floating marine debris carrying fouling communities is a
transport vector for (possibly invasive) species. Since the
massive production and consumption of plastic products in
the last decades has led to ever increasing quantities of discarded plastics in the global marine environment, the availability of floating vectors for rafting biota has strongly
augmented. In the past, floating litter has usually not been
included in investigations of sources and pathways of alien
invasive species (AIS), but increasing evidence suggests that
it may be an important underlying factor of introductions, for
example, via canals and of secondary spread from areas
where AIS have been introduced by other means, like aquaculture areas or ports. Although AIS rafting on marine plastics is commonly reported, there is no broad understanding
of the dimension and underlying processes of this phenomenon, such as high-risk source and sink areas and anthropogenic activities, or high-risk vector items and materials. Here
we present the investigations carried out and results gained
on the phenomenon during the last 1.5 years of a PhD thesis
within the ongoing project AQUAINVAD-ED (Marie Curie
2014 ITN H2020 AQUAINVAD-ED; Grant agreement no
642197). We concentrate on aquaculture areas as sources of
rafting AIS on plastic litter. Rafting animals and the fouled
vectors were analyzed on beaches at three sites of bivalve
aquaculture in Italy and Portugal, including the Venice
lagoon, which is a hotspot of AIS. We found that the fouled
vectors (mostly plastics) carried a range of invasive species.
This shows that aquaculture areas are indeed high-risk areas
for the dispersal of invasive species via floating plastics and
should be included in future regulations and policies.
7.2.5 Modeling of Ballast Water Discharge
in the Arctic Ocean
Ingrid Linck Rosenhaim
1*
, Kathrin Riemann-Campe
1
,
Andreas Herber
1
, Rüdiger Gerdes
1
1
Alfred-Wegener Institute, Bussestraße 24, 27570
Bremerhaven, Germany
*corresponding author: Ingrid.linck-rosenhaim@awi.de
Keywords: Ballast water, Ocean-sea ice model, Invasive
species, Arctic Ocean, Shipping
Sea-ice concentration in the Arctic Ocean decreased 9%
per decade since 1978. With the decline of the sea-ice in the
Appendices