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ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil Advance Access originally published online on January 31, 2008
ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil 2008 65(5):765-769; doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsm196
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© 2008 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Published by Oxford Journals. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Factors influencing the recruitment and abundance of Didemnum in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island

Linda A. Auker1 and Candace A. Oviatt2

1 Department of Zoology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
2 Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, RI 02882, USA

Correspondence to L. A. Auker: tel: +1 603 8623647; fax: +1 603 8623784; e-mail: l.auker{at}unh.edu.

Auker, L. A., and Oviatt, C. A. 2008. Factors influencing the recruitment and abundance of Didemnum in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 765–769.

The non-indigenous colonial tunicate Didemnum sp. A has been observed in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, since 2000. We compared weekly recruitment of the species and environmental parameters (i.e. temperature, salinity, chlorophyll a, dissolved oxygen, pH, and nutrient concentrations) over a 6-month period among three sites: (i) the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography dock (GSO), (ii) the Department of Environmental Management pier at Fort Wetherill (FW), and (iii) the Prudence Island T-wharf. At the GSO and FW, divers surveyed the sites for percentage cover of Didemnum. To assess the spread of Didemnum in the bay and what factors may predict the tunicate’s presence, we also surveyed intertidal sites in October and November 2005, noting Didemnum presence, salinity, number of boats and moorings, and distances to major ports at each site. GSO had the highest percentage cover of adults and the highest recruitment of the tunicate (p < 0.01), reaching average peak values of 319 individuals per 100 cm2 in September 2005. Temperature and salinity demonstrated the best correlation with recruitment, and higher boat and mooring numbers may be a reliable predictor of tunicate presence. Further monitoring is needed to assess the potential spread of Didemnum throughout Narragansett Bay.

Keywords: Didemnum, distribution, Narragansett Bay, non-indigenous tunicate, recruitment, salinity, substratum, temperature

Received 20 May 2007; accepted 4 December 2007; advance access publication 31 January 2008.


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