Invasion
Invasion Description
1st Record: Groton, Avery Point/CT/Long Island Sound Groton/CT/Fisher's Island Sound (1970s, (R. Whitlatch to James T. Carlton, personal communication, 2002)
Geographic Extent
Chatham/MA/Chatham Harbor (2003, Carman et al. 2007); Vineyard Haven/MA/Vineyard Haven, Vineyard Sound (2003, Carman et al. 2007); Tisbury, Marthas Vineyard/MA/Lake Tashmoo (2008, Carman and Grunden 2010, on eelgrass, Zostera marina); 5 of 24 aquaculture sites, Martha's Vineyard/MA/19 surveyed embayments (Carman et al. 2010); Marthas Vineyard/MA/Stonewall Pond (2012-2013, Colarusso et al. 2016); Woods Hole/MA/Buzzards Bay-Vineyard Sound; (1998, Whitlatch and Osman 2000); Woods Hole/MA/Eel Pond, Vineyard Sound; (1998, MIT Sea Grant 2003, 2002, Agius 2007; 2003, Carman et al. 2007); Tripps Marina, Westport/MA/Buzzards Bay (2003, MIT Sea Grant 2003; 2010, Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management 2013); Save the Bay Marina, Providence/RI/Providence River (2019, Pederson et al. 2021); Allen Harbor, North Kingstown/RI/Prpvidence River (2019, Pederson et al. 2021);Coasters Harbor Island, Newport/RI/East Passage, Narragansett Bay (2000, MIT Sea Grant 2007); Jamestown/RI/Narragansett Bay (1998, Whitlatch and Osman 2000); Fort Adams State Park/Newport/RI/Narragansett Bay (2010, Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management 2013); RI/Narragansett Bay (Ruiz et al., unpublished data); Point Judith Marina, South Kingston/RI/Point Judith Pond (MacIntyre et al. 2010; Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management 2013); Avery Point, Groton/CT/Fisher's Island Sound (1970s, (R. Whitlatch to James T. Carlton, personal communication, 2002, Whitlatch and Osman 2000); Brewer Mysyic Marina, Mystic/CT/Fishers Island Sound (209, Pederson et al. 2021); Cape Charles/VA/Chesapeake Bay-Atlantic Ocean (Ruiz et al., unpublished data)
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Probable | Hull Fouling |
Regional Impacts
| Ecological Impact | Competition | |
| In experiments in Long Island Sound, Diplosoma listerianum significantly reduced recruitment of native Spirorbis spp., Bugula spp., and Balanus spp., mostly through overgrowth of newly settled individuals (Osman and Whitlach 1995). Diplosoma listerianum also significantly reduced recruitment of non-indigenous Botryllus schlosseri and Botrylloides violaceus, mostly through overgrowth of newly settled individuals (Osman and Whitlach 1995). Disturbance enhanced the spread of D. listerianum (Altman and Whitlach 2007). Diplosoma listerianum was a strong competitor in filling up empty space on fouling plates (Stachowicz et al. 2002). In experiments in Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Diplosoma listerianum outgrew Botrylloides violaceus and other organisms on fouling plates, covering ~72% of the plates at the peak of its growth (Agius 2007). In years with abnormally warm winters, D. listerianum creates a community which it dominates, having lower biodiversity than native-dominated communities, especially in homogenously developed areas with extensive hard substrate (Munguia et al. 2011). | ||