Benthic Community and Climate Change - Marine Ecology in a Changing World - page 133

dispersed and juveniles settle on hard substrates (Diederich et al . 2005).
The fi rst natural recruitment of C. gigas, introduced into the Oosterschelde
(The Netherlands) in 1964, was observed in 1975 during exceptionally
warm summers with water temperatures above 20ºC (Drinkwaard 1999). In
New Zealand, the dramatic increase in C. gigas in 1978, superseding that of
the native rock oyster Saccostrea glomerata , was attributed to a marked rise
in temperature during the main spatting period (Dinamani 1978). Global
warming may therefore increase the success of C. gigas spatfall in summer
and the survival of spat during the following winter, leading to increased
rates of population increase of the Pacifi c oyster and an expected decline in
native bivalves due to increased predation rates in the subtidal and lower
intertidal (Troost 2010).
It is therefore clear that changes in atmospheric circulation, precipitation
patterns and ocean circulation, increases in global mean temperatures,
elevated CO 2 and a higher frequency of hot summers or warmer late-
summer water temperatures, can have a profound impact on dispersion
routes, leading to changes in the abundance and distribution of introduced
species around the world (Diederich et al . 2005, Occhipinti-Ambrogi 2007).
Responding to the growing human reliance on goods and services derived
from nature and natural processes calls for a better understanding of the
dynamics of invasive species and their long term consequences for marine
ecosystems. In the context of a fast-changing marine landscape, deeper
insight is required not only to monitor the state of the environment and
assess corrective measures but also to predict the behavior of invasive
species under an altered climate and the emergence of new invasive species.
Looking into the future, the successful management of ecosystem goods and
services will involve new tools that integrate species invasion and climate
change (Occhipinti-Ambrogi 2007, Hellmann et al . 2008).
References
Andrews, J.D. 1980. A review of introductions of exotic oysters and biological planning for
new importations. Mar. Fish. Rev. 42: 1-11.
Anil, A.C., D. Desai and L. Khandeparker. 2001. Larval development and metamorphosis in
Balanus amphitrite Darwin (Cirripedia; Thoracica): signifi cance of food concentration,
temperature and nucleic acids. J. Exp. Marine Biol. Ecol. 263: 125-41.
Arakawa, K.Y. 1990. Commercially important species of oysters in the world. Mar. Behav.
Physiol. 17: 1-13.
Ayres, P. 1991. Introduced Pacifi c oysters in Australia. In: J. Sutherland and R. Osman (eds.).
The Ecology of Crassostrea gigas in Australia, New Zealand, France and Washington State.
Maryland Sea Grant College, College Park, pp. 3-7.
Bellwood, D.R., T.P. Hughes, C. Folke and M. Nystom. 2004. Confronting the coral reef crisis.
Nature 429: 827-833.
Berge, J., G. Johnsen, F. Nilsen, B. Gulliksen and D. Slagstad. 2005. Ocean temperature
oscillations enable reappearance of blue mussels Mytilus edulis in Svalbard after a 1000
year absence. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 303: 167-75.