Invasion
Invasion Description
1st Record: Scripps Pier, La Jolla/CA/Pacfiic Ocean (1992, Suchanek et al. 1997, molecular survey)
Geographic Extent
Scripps Pier, La Jolla/CA/Pacific Ocean (1992, Suchanek et al. 1997); San Diego/CA/San Dieguito Lagoon (2000, Cohen et al. 2002)
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Alternate | None |
| Alternate | Ballast Water |
Regional Impacts
| Ecological Impact | Competition | |
| Competition with, and nearly complete replacement of, native M. trossulus occurred in southern California waters, possibly in the 1940s (Carlton 1979; McDonald et al. 1991; Suchanek et al. 1997). At this time, very heavy settlement of Mytilus 'edulis' occurred at the La Jolla pier, and was accompanied by a decline in recruitment of M. californianus, the native Sea Mussel (Coe 1946, cited by Carlton 1979). | ||
| Ecological Impact | Hybridization | |
| Hybridization between M. galloprovincialis and M. trossulus was probably widespread during the early invasion and replacement of M. trossulus. See the discussion of the bioregion for details. | ||