Description
Taxonomy
Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Protista | Phaeophyta | Phaeophyceae | Dictyosiphonales | Striariaceae | Stictyosiphon |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1973 | Unknown | Unknown | Cryptogenic | Regular Resident | Eastern Atlantic | Eastern Atlantic | Shipping(Fouling Community, Ballast Water) |
History of Spread
The brown alga Stictyosiphon soriferus is found in the eastern Atlantic from northern Spain to the Shetlands, and also from the Baltic, Mediterranean, and Black Seas (Orfanidis 1993; South and Hooper 1976; South and Tittley 1986). It was known from the western Atlantic only by unsubstantiated records (MA, RI, 1914) before 1972 (Rhodes 1976; South and Hooper 1976; Taylor 1937; Taylor 1957). In the 1970's, it was discovered at several locations from VA to Newfoundland. Its recent discovery on the East Coast was suggestive of introduction, but its presence in Hudson Bay supports cryptogenic status in the Western Atlantic. Stictyosiphon soriferus has been collected from Australia, where it is very likely introduced (Skinner and Womersly 1983). Western Atlantic records are summarized below:
Chesapeake Bay Region- It was collected in 1973 'in a creek bed' at Cedar Island, Accomack County on the Atlantic shore of VA, between Burton's Bay and Metomkin Inlet (Rhodes 1976). Humm (1979) mentions no other collections from the Chesapeake region.
Southern New England - Stictyosiphon soriferus was reported from Woods Hole MA by Fiore (1972, cited by Rhodes 1976).
Gulf of St. Lawrence - It was found at 6 locations in Newfoundland, and one in Nova Scotia (Great Bras d'Or Lake) ( ~1974) on the north, east, and south coasts of the island, and is locally common (South and Hooper 1976).
History References - Orfanidis 1993; Rhodes 1976; Skinner and Womersly 1983; South and Hooper 1976; South and Tittley 1986; Taylor 1937; Taylor 1957
Invasion Comments
Population Status- We considered the population status of S. soriferus to be ' unknown' because we have found only one documented record of this alga from the Chesapeake region. We regard the species as a probable introduction to the Northwest Atlantic, based on the late discovery of established populations (South and Hooper 1976).
Ecology
Environmental Tolerances
For Survival | For Reproduction | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
Temperature (ºC) | 2.0 | 27.0 | 20.0 | 5.0 |
Salinity (‰) | ||||
Oxygen | ||||
pH | ||||
Salinity Range | poly-eu |
Age and Growth
Male | Female | |
---|---|---|
Minimum Adult Size (mm) | 100.0 | 100.0 |
Typical Adult Size (mm) | 150.0 | 150.0 |
Maximum Adult Size (mm) | 300.0 | 300.0 |
Maximum Longevity (yrs) | ||
Typical Longevity (yrs |
Reproduction
Start | Peak | End | |
---|---|---|---|
Reproductive Season | |||
Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event |
|||
Sexuality Mode(s) | |||
Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction |
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Fertilization Type(s) | |||
More than One Reproduction Event per Year |
|||
Reproductive Startegy | |||
Egg/Seed Form |
Impacts
Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay
The brown alga Stictyosiphon soriferus has no known economic impacts in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
The brown alga Stictyosiphon soriferus is apparently uncommon to common in its probable introduced ranges in North America and Australia (Skinner and Womersley 1983; South and Hooper 1976). No ecological impacts of its introduction have been reported.
References - Skinner and Womersley 1983; South and Hooper 1976
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
The establishment of the brown alga Stictyosiphon soriferus is uncertain. If established, it is probably too rare to have significant impacts on native biota.
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
The brown alga Stictyosiphon soriferus' abundance and establishment in the Chesapeake region is uncertain. Significant impacts on other introduced biota are considered unlikely.
References
Humm, Harold J. (1979) The Marine Algae of Virginia, , Charlottesville. Pp.Orfanidis, S. (1993) Temperature responses and distribution of several Mediterranean macroalgae belonging to different distribution groups, Botanica Marina 36: 359-370
Rhodes, Russell G. (1976) Additions to the brown algal flora of the Atlantic Coast of Virginia, Chesapeake Science 17: 177-181
Skinner, S.; Womersly, H. B. S. (1983) New records (possibly introductions) of Striaria, Stictysiphon, and Arthrocladia (Phaeophyta) for southern Australia, Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 107: 59-68
South, G. Robin; Hooper, Robert (1976) Stictyosiphon soriferus (Phaeophyta, Dictyosiphonales), from Eastern North America, Journal of Phycology 12: 24-29
South, G. Robin; Tittley, Ian (1986) A checklist and distributional index of the benthic marine algae of the North Atlantic Ocean., , St. Andrews, New Brunswick, and London. Pp.
Taylor, William Randolph (1937) Marine Algae of the Northeastern Coast of North America, , Ann Arbor. Pp.
Taylor, William Randolph (1957) Marine Algae of the Northeastern Coast of North America, , Ann Arbor. Pp.