Invasion
Invasion Description
NY/Long Island Sound (1988, Carlton 1989, 'Maine to Connecticut')
Geographic Extent
NY/Long Island Sound (1988, Carlton 1989); Stamford/CT/Long Island Sound (MIT Sea Grant 2003); Brewer Yacht Haven Marine Center, Milford Yacht Club, Milford/CT/Long Island Sound (MIT Sea Grant 2003); Brewer Yacht Yard, Mystic/CT/Fishers Island Sound (MIT Sea Grant 2003; Pederson et al. 2021); Groton/CT/Fishers Island Sound (Whitlatch and Osman 2000); 35 of 45 sites sampled/NY-CT/Long Island Sound (2011-2013, Brunetti and Cuomo 2014); Stirling Hsrbot, Greenport, Long Island/NY/Long Island Sound (2019, Pederson et al. 2021)
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Probable | Hull Fouling |
Regional Impacts
| Ecological Impact | Competition | |
| Styela clava is frequently abundant and often the dominant fouling organism in harbors. It covered 18.5% of fouling plate surface in one-year old assemblages near Avery Point, CT (Altman and Whitlatch 2007). It can reduce the growth rate of co-occurring species through its intense filtration of the water column (Osman and Whitlatch 2000). | ||
| Ecological Impact | Predation | |
| Styela clava can inhibit settlement of co-occurring fouling organisms through predation on planktonic larvae, as a result of high filtering rates (Osman and Whitlatch 2000). | ||
| Ecological Impact | Food/Prey | |
| Newly settled Styela clava in Long Island Sound are prone to intense predation by the snails Astyris lunata (= Mitrella lunata) and Costoanachis translirata (= Anachis lafresnayi of authors) (Osman and Whitlatch 2000; Whitlatch and Osman 2009). Older juveniles are subject to predation by fishes, mostly Tautog (Tautoga onitis) and Cunner (Tautogolabrus adspersus; Osman and Whitlatch 2000). | ||