In this episode, we explore the wide variety of intentional and unintentional ways marine invasive species have traveled throughout the world. We'll be discussing how the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles somehow caused a biological invasion, high-tech scientific equipment transporting invasive species to the deep sea, and how climate change is helping invasive species dominate the ocean.
Soundcloud Link: Soundcloud
Photo: New England, an oil tanker from the Marshall Islands moving through the Cape Cod Canal in Massachusetts. International shipping is a major vector of invasive species.
References:
The GloBallast Story: Reflections from a Global Family. GEF-UNDP-IMO GloBallast Partnerships Programme. GloBallast Monograph No. 25.
FAO. 2016. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2016. Contributing to food security and nutrition for all. Rome. 200 pp.
Anstett A. Effects of Climate Change on the invasive Lionfish: Pterois volitans and Pterois miles. 2017 May 26 [accessed 2019 May 11]. https://sharkresearch.rsmas.miami.edu/effects-of-climate- change-on-the-invasive-lionfish-pterois-volitans-and-pterois-miles/
Astrobiology Magazine. The Ecology of the Plastic-sphere. 2013 Jul 2 [accessed 2019 May 11].
https://www.astrobio.net/extreme-life/the-ecology-of-the-plastic-sphere/
CAFF and PAME. 2017. Arctic Invasive Alien Species: Strategy and Action Plan, Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna and Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment Akureyri, Iceland. ISBN: 978-9935-431-65-3
Canals and inland waterways. In: Encyclopedia Britannica. [accessed 2019 May 11].
https://www.britannica.com/technology/canal-waterway/The-19th-century
Carlton JT, Chapman JW, Geller JB, Miller JA, Carlton DA, McCuller MI, Treneman NC, Steves BP, Ruiz GM. Tsunami-driven rafting: Transoceanic species dispersal and implications for marine biogeography. 2017 Sep 29:1402–1406.
Caulerpa taxifolia (killer algae). 2018 [accessed 2019 May 10].
https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/29292
Child B. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles prompt RSPCA warning. 2014 Nov 4 [accessed 2019 May 11]. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/nov/04/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-rspca-
abandoned-terrapins
Conrad N. Ecologists concerned over Suez expansion impacts | DW | 06.08.2015. 2015 Aug 6 [accessed 2019 May 11]. https://www.dw.com/en/ecologists-concerned-over-suez-expansion-
impacts/a-18631415
Crane L. Mantis shrimps punch with the force of a bullet - and now we know how. 2018 Oct 18 [accessed 2019 May 11]. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2182882-mantis-shrimps-punch-
with-the-force-of-a-bullet-and-now-we-know-how/
Davidson IC. 2011. The biology of ballast water 25 years later. Biological Invasions. 14(1). DOI:
10.1007/s10530-011-0056-1
Deep Sea Hydrothermal Vents. 2013 Mar 7 [accessed 2019 May 11].
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/deep-sea-hydrothermal-vents/
Discovering Hydrothermal Vents. [accessed 2019 May 11]. https://www.whoi.edu/feature/history-
hydrothermal-vents/impacts/metals.html
Dobrestov S. Expected effect of climate change on fouling communities and its impact on antifouling research. 2014 Mar 27 [accessed 2019 May 11].
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9781845693862500090
Everglades Invasive Reptiles. [accessed 2019 May 10].
https://www.evergladescisma.org/species/reptiles/
Gabbatiss J. 2018 May 16. Fish are fleeing the effects of global warming by migrating north to colder waters. The Independent. [accessed 2019 Mar 24].
Galil BS, Boero F, Campbell ML, Carlton JT, Cook E, Fraschetti S, Gollasch S, Hewitt CL, Jelmert A, Macpherson E, et al. ‘Double trouble’: the expansion of the Suez Canal and marine bioinvasions in the Mediterranean Sea. 2014;17(4):973–976.
History Of Aquariums. 2015 Apr 25 [accessed 2019 May 11]. https://austinaquarium.com/history-of-
aquariums/
Kahn B. This Is What the Ice-Free Northwest Passage Looks Like. 2016 Aug 23 [accessed 2019 May
11]. https://www.climatecentral.org/news/ice-free-northwest-passage-20624
Magalhães ALB, Orsi ML, Pelicice FM, Azevedo-Santos VM, Vitule JRS, Lima-Junior DP, Brito
MFG. Small size today, aquarium dumping tomorrow: sales of juvenile non-native large fish as an important threat in Brazil. 2017;15(4).
McGrath M. Tsunami drives species 'army' across Pacific to US coast. 2017 Sep 29 [accessed 2019
May 11]. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-41427691
Meinesz A, Vaugelas JD, Hesse B, Mari X. Spread of the introduced tropical green alga Caulerpa
taxifolia in northern Mediterranean waters. 1993;5(2):141–147.
Morrison J. Mantis shrimp's super colour vision debunked. 2014 Jan 23 [accessed 2019 May 11].
https://www.nature.com/news/mantis-shrimp-s-super-colour-vision-debunked-1.14578
Naylor RL, Williams SL, Strong DR. Aquaculture - A Gateway for Exotic Species. 2001;294:1655–1656.
Mooney C. A huge part of the Arctic ocean is changing before our eyes. 2018 Jun 27 [accessed 2019
May 11]. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/arctic-shifting-atlantic-ocean-sea- climate-change-a8418736.html
Niner HJ, Ardron JA, Escobar EG, Gianni M, Jaeckel A, Jones DOB, Levin LA, Smith CR, Thiele T,
Turner PJ, et al. Corrigendum: Deep-Sea Mining With No Net Loss of Biodiversity—An Impossible Aim. 2018 [accessed 2019 May 11];5.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2018.00053/full
Oskin B. Protect the Oceans: Don't Flush That Fish! 2013 Jan 14 [accessed 2019 May 11].
https://www.livescience.com/26238-invasive-species-from-aquariums.html
Rhopilema nomadica (nomad jellyfish). 2018 [accessed 2019 May 11].
https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/108185
Salmo salar (Atlantic salmon). 2019 [accessed 2019 May 10].
https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/65307
Salmon. [accessed 2019 May 10]. https://www.seafoodwatch.org/seafood-
recommendations/groups/salmon?o=517,520
Seabed (benthic) communities. 2010 Aug 12 [accessed 2019 May 11].
http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/wildlife/animals/seabed-benthic-communities
Sorte CJ, Williams SL, Zerebecki RA. Ocean warming increases threat of invasive species in a marine
fouling community. 2010 [accessed 2019 May 11];91(8):2198–21204.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20836440
Species Profile: Trachemys scripta elegans. [accessed 2019 May 10].
http://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/species.php?sc=71
Sterilise farmed salmon to stop breeding with wild fish, researchers say. 2014 Mar 10 [accessed 2019 May 11]. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/mar/10/sterilise-farmed-salmon- breeding-wild-fish
Stringham OC, Lockwood JL. For exotic pets, the most popular are also most likely to be released in the wild. 2018 Aug 22.
Suskind A. How the 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Inadvertently Caused an Environmental Crisis. 2014 Aug 5 [accessed 2019 May 11]. https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-the-teenage-mutant-
ninja-turtles-inadvertently-caused-an-environmental-crisis
Tunnicliffe V. 1992. The Nature and Origin of the Modern Hydrothermal Vent Fauna. PALAIOS.
7(4):338-350.
Valigra L. When it comes to invasives, who to turn to? [accessed 2019 May 10].
http://www.gulfofmaine.org/times/fall2006/carlton.html
Wanucha G. One Step Ahead of the Next Marine Invader. [accessed 2019 May 11].
http://oceans.mit.edu/news/featured-stories/step-marine-invader.html