[UNDER EMBARGO] 25 years of observations on non-indigenous Caprella species on navigation buoys.
Description
The global expansion of marine infrastructure, or ‘ocean sprawl’—creates extensive new artificial habitat for hard substrate-associated species. Structures such as offshore energy installations, aquaculture systems, and navigation buoys support biofouling communities of native, introduced, and range-expanding species. Caprellid amphipods are typical members of these communities and can reach high densities. Using a unique 25-year dataset (1998–2023) from the Belgian part of the North Sea, we documented occurrence patterns of four Caprella species: the native C. linearis, the introduced C. mutica and the range-expanding C. equilibra and C. penantis. This long-term dataset reveals dynamic shifts in species dominance, co-occurrence, and spatial range, highlighting how introduced and range-expanding species successively establish and interact in biofouling communities in an increasingly warmer, busier, and more cosmopolitan ocean.
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Tags
- surveillance-biologique
- meeresüberwachung
- fouling-fauna
- milieubewaking
- bio-monitoring
- marine-monitoring
- environmental-monitoring
- surveillance-du-milieu-marin
- biomonitoring
- controle-van-de-zee
- biological-monitoring
- umweltüberwachung
- surveillance-de-l'environnement