Document Type
Article
Date of Original Version
2019
Department
Natural Resources Science
Abstract
Introduced, or nonnative, marine species are a threat to local biodiversity, disrupt marine industries, and can have negative effects on coastal communities. Colpomenia peregrina (Sauvageau, 1927) is one of the most successful brown algal invaders in the world. Originating from the Northwest Pacific, Colpomenia peregrina was first collected in the Northwest Atlantic in Nova Scotia, Canada in the 1960s. Since then populations of C. peregrina have been discovered at 57 sites ranging from Grand Barachois Lagoon, Saint Pierre and Miquelon to South Wellfleet, MA, USA. The spread of Colpomenia peregrina can be attributed to its broad tolerance to environmental conditions, buoyant morphology that aids dispersal, and generalist epiphytic biology. Here we report the occurrence of Colpomenia peregrina at five sites in Rhode Island, USA for the first time, representing the crossing of a major biogeographic boundary by this species. The spread of C. peregrina will likely continue, warranting research on its impact on native communities and host algae.
Publication Title, e.g., Journal
BioInvasions Records
Volume
8
Issue
2
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Green-Gavrielidis LA, Hobbs N-V, Thornber CS (2019) The brown macroalga Colpomenia peregrina (Sauvageau, 1927) reaches Rhode Island, USA. BioInvasions Records 8(2): 199–207, https://doi.org/10.3391/bir.2019.8.2.01
Available at: https://doi.org/10.3391/bir.2019.8.2.01
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.