Biological invasion in critical salinity zone: introduction of polychaetes Marenzelleria arctia to the eastern Gulf of Finland (Baltic Sea)

A.A. Maximov

Proceedings of the Zoological Institute RAS, 2013, 317(Supplement 3):

Abstract

The peculiarities of biological invasions in the species-poor estuarial communities of critical salinity zone were analyzed using polychaetes Marenzelleria arctia introduced into the eastern Gulf of Finland as an example. M. arctia introduction resulted in cardinal reconstruction of whole gulf ecosystem. Polychaetes took the dominant position in the benthos. The benthic biomass increased manifold despite of deterioration of oxygen conditions. Role of these low-oxygen tolerant polychaetes was especially significant in the hypoxic areas, inhabited usually by monoculture of M. arctia. The new functional group of animals appeared, which actively bioirrigated bottom favorably influencing on the biogeochemical processes in the bottom sediments. Probably, in the near future radical changes of benthos will affect the structure of fish community. The open areas of the Gulf of Finland, which characterized by nearbottom waters with “critical” salinity and low temperature, were slightly impacted by invasion processes before M. arctia introduction. The specific environment means harsher selection conditions limiting circle of potential invaders. However, consequences of invasions in the critical salinity zone apparently are more important than in more species-rich freshwater and marine habitats. “Unsaturated” estuarine communities with large number of vacant ecological niches present good opportunity for alien species to establish successively. Evidently in many cases it can be considered as a positive phenomenon because of formation of more diverse functionally and resistant communities.

Key words

bioirrigation, bioturbation, invaders, bottom communities, xenodiversity, macrozoobenthos, alien species, estuaries

Published June 21, 2013

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