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The invasive gastropod Crepidula fornicata: reproduction and recruitment in the intertidal at its northernmost range in Wales, UK, and implications for its secondary spread

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Abstract

The establishment and spread of a non-native species in an introduced range depends to a large extent on the performance of the species under the prevailing environmental conditions. The spawning, larval and spatfall periods of the invasive gastropod Crepidula fornicata were monitored in the intertidal zone at its northernmost range in Wales, UK, between February 2010 and January 2011. The duration of the reproductive season was similar to that recorded from more southerly European populations. Spawning and larval release occurred throughout most of the year even at low seawater temperatures of <7 °C, but benthic recruitment was observed over a much shorter period at seawater temperatures >16 °C. Recruitment was low and likely controlled by post-settlement mortality. These observations suggest that C. fornicata’s northwards spread in Welsh waters will not be limited by seawater temperature negatively affecting reproduction, but by processes acting after larval release. These data show the importance of incorporating settlement and post-settlement processes into studies on recruitment success when aiming to predict the potential spread of a potentially harmful invader such as C. fornicata.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the SMNR Team from the Countryside Council for Wales and Mr. Ian Pritchard from the School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, for the provision of temperature data from the SMNR and the Menai Strait, respectively. We are thankful to Prof. Jan Pechenik and Dr. Thierry Comtet for the confirmation of our larval ID. We are grateful to Mr. Mark Burton and Mr. Phil Newman from the SMNR team and Mr. John Warneford from the Milford Haven Port Authority for the provision of boat time and support during plankton sampling. Dr. Alice Ramsay, Mr. Rodrigo Reis and Dr. Nick Jones provided valuable assistance during the intertidal field sampling. KB acknowledges her PhD scholarship provided by the Countryside Council for Wales and the Bangor Mussel Producers Ltd.

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Correspondence to Katrin Bohn.

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Communicated by F. Bulleri.

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Bohn, K., Richardson, C. & Jenkins, S. The invasive gastropod Crepidula fornicata: reproduction and recruitment in the intertidal at its northernmost range in Wales, UK, and implications for its secondary spread. Mar Biol 159, 2091–2103 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-1997-3

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