Invasion
Invasion Description
1st Record? Japan/East China Sea (1950, Iwasaki 2005); Korea/Pacific Ocean (1936, Lee et al. 2010, location not given)
Geographic Extent
'coastal waters of China' (Morton 1987); Fujian Province/China/East China Sea (Huang 2002); Japan/East China Sea (Iwasaki 2005); Amakusa, Kyushu/Japan/East China Sea (1992, Suchanek et al. 1997); Kumomoto, Kyushu/Japan/East China Sea (1996, Suchanek et al. 1997); Chindo Island/Korea/East China Sea (2004, Kil et al. 2005); Korea/Pacific Ocean (1936, Lee et al. 2010; Park et al. 2017)
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Alternate | Natural Dispersal |
| Alternate | Fisheries Intentional |
| Alternate | Hull Fouling |
| Alternate | Ballast Water |
Regional Impacts
| Ecological Impact | Competition | |
| The invasion of M. galloprovincialis has reduced native species and altered benthic communities by the development of dense mussel beds. Among species which have been partially replaced are: Crassostrea gigas (Pacific Oyster), Septifer virgatus (a native mussel), Chthamalus challengeri, and the seaweed Sargassum fusiformis (Chavanich et al. 2010). | ||
| Ecological Impact | Habitat Change | |
| Large beds of M. galloprovincialis have altered benthic communities through the mass deposition of pseudofeces in the sediment, creating hypoxic conditions (Chavanich et al. 2010). | ||
| Economic Impact | Shipping/Boating | |
| Greatly increased ship fouling due to M. galloprovincialis resulted in a great increase in the use of toxic fouling paints, including TBT, with negative effects on native mollusks (Chavanich et al. 2010). | ||