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Assisted passage or passive drift: a comparison of alternative transport mechanisms for non-indigenous coastal species into the Southern Ocean

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2005

PATRICK N. LEWIS
Affiliation:
Institute of Antarctic and Southern Ocean Studies, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 77, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia, plewis@utas.edu.au
MARTIN J. RIDDLE
Affiliation:
Human Impacts Research Program, Australian Antarctic Division, Channel Highway, Kingston, TAS 7050, Australia
STEPHEN D.A. SMITH
Affiliation:
School of Environmental Science and Natural Resource Management, University of New England, National Marine Science Centre, Bay Drive, Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450, Australia

Abstract

The introduction of invasive species may be the most profound modern threat to biological communities in high-latitude regions. In the Southern Ocean, the natural transport mechanism for shallow-water marine organisms provided by kelp rafts is being increasingly augmented by plastic debris and shipping activity. Plastic debris provide additional opportunities for dispersal of invasive organisms, but dispersal routes are passive, dependent on ocean currents, and already established. In contrast, ships create novel pathways, moving across currents and often visiting many locations over short periods of time. Transportation of hull-fouling communities by vessel traffic thus poses the most likely mechanism by which exotic species may be introduced to the Southern Ocean.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© Antarctic Science Ltd 2005

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