Abstract
The estuarine polychaete, Hediste diadroma (Nereididae), of eastern Asia was found at all six sites sampled in October 2009 in northeast Pacific estuaries, including the Columbia River, along a 300-km stretch of coastline in Washington and Oregon, USA. The immature worms were returned to the laboratory in Japan where 13 of them were cultured to sexual maturity after 5–7 months. These worms had the diagnostic, epitoke-specific spinigers that distinguish H. diadroma from all other Hediste species. Their egg sizes (140–170 μm), paragnath numbers on the proboscis, and chromosome number (2n = 28) were also consistent with those previously reported for the Japanese population of H. diadroma. The widespread distribution of H. diadroma indicates that it is a successful invader of the North American Pacific and it may have long escaped detection because of its morphological similarity to the native species, H. limnicola. The long pelagic life of H. diadroma larvae could have facilitated its successful trans-ocean dispersal with ballast water of ships.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles and news from researchers in related subjects, suggested using machine learning.References
Bartels-Hardege HD, Zeeck E (1990) Reproductive behavior of Nereis diversicolor (Annelida: polychaeta). Mar Biol 106:409–412
Carlton JT (2009) Deep invasion ecology and the assembly of communities in historical time. In: Rilov G, Crooks JA (eds) Biological invasions in marine ecosystems. Springer, Berlin, pp 13–56
Carlton JT, Geller JB (1993) Ecological roulette: the global transport of nonindigenous marine organisms. Science 261:78–82
Christensen B (1980) Animal cytogenetics, vol 2, Annelida. Gebrüder Borntraeger, Berlin
Cordell JR, Morgan CA, Simenstad CA (1992) Occurrence of the Asian calanoid copepod Pseudodiaptomus inopinus in the zooplankton of the Columbia River estuary. J Crust Biol 12:260–269
Dales RP (1950) The reproduction and larval development of Nereis diversicolor O. F. Müller. J Mar Biol Ass UK 29:321–361
Fong PP, Garthwaite RL (1994) Allozyme electrophoretic analysis of the Hediste limnicola—H. diversicolor—H. japonica species complex (Polychaeta: Nereididae). Mar Biol 118:463–470
Fong PP, Pearse JS (1992) Photoperiodic regulation of parturition in the self-fertilizing viviparous polychaete Neanthes limnicola from central California. Mar Biol 112:81–89
Inamori Y, Kurihara Y (1979) Analysis of the environmental factors affecting the life of the brackish polychaete, Neanthes japonica (Izuka). III. The effects of the environmental factors on fertilization, cleavage and post larval development. Bull Mar Biol Stn Asamushi 16:113–121
Izuka A (1908) On the breeding habit and development of Nereis japonica n. sp. Annot Zool Jpn 6:295–305
Johnson HP (1903) Fresh-water nereids from the Pacific coast and Hawaii, with remarks on fresh-water Polychaeta in general. Mark anniversary volume. New York, Henry Holt, 205–223, P. XVI–XVII
Kagawa Y (1955) [Note on the optimum salinities, studied in the adult and larva of the brackish-water polychaete worm, Nereis japonica]. J Gakugei Coll, Tokushima Univ, Nat Sci 6:11–16 (in Japanese with English summary)
Khlebovich VV (1996) [Fauna of Russia and neighbouring countries. Polychaetous annelids. volume III. Polychaetes of the family Nereididae of the Russian seas and the adjacent waters]. St. Petersburg: Nauka Publishing House (in Russian with English summary)
Müller OF (1776) Zoologiae Danicae. Prodromus, seu animalium daniae et norvegiae indigenarum characteres, Nomina, et Synonyma. Imprimis Popularium, Copenhagen
Ruiz GM, Fofonoff PW, Carlton JT, Wonham MJ, Hines AH (2000) Invasion of coastal marine communities in North America: apparent patterns, processes, and biases. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 31:481–531
Sato M (1999) Divergence of reproductive and developmental characteristics and speciation in Hediste species group. Hydrobiologia 402:129–143
Sato M (2004) [Diversity of polychaetes and environments in tidal flats: a study on the Hediste species group (Nereididae)]. Fossils 76:122–133 (in Japanese with English summary)
Sato M, Ikeda M (1992) Chromosome complements of two forms of Neanthes japonica (Polychaeta, Nereididae) with evidence of male-heterogametic sex chromosomes. Mar Biol 112:299–307
Sato M, Nakashima A (2003) A review of Asian Hediste species complex (Nereidae, Polychaeta) with descriptions of two new species and a redescription of Hediste japonica (Izuka, 1908). Zool J Linn Soc 137:403–445
Sato M, Tsuchiya M (1987) Reproductive behavior and salinity favorable for early development in two types of the brackish-water polychaete Neanthes japonica (Izuka). Benthos Res 31:29–42
Sato M, Tsuchiya M (1991) Two patterns of early development in nereidid polychaetes keying out to Neanthes japonica (Izuka). Ophelia Suppl 5:371–382
Scaps P (2002) A review of the biology, ecology and potential use of the common ragworm Hediste diversicolor (O.F.Müller) (Annelida: Polychaeta). Hydrobiologia 470:203–218
Smith RI (1950) Embryonic development in the viviparous nereid polychaete, Neanthes lighti Hartman. J Morph 87:417–466
Smith RI (1958) On reproductive pattern as a specific characteristic among nereid polychaetes. Syst Zool 7:60–73
Smith RI (1964) On the early development of Nereis diversicolor in different salinities. J Morph 114:437–464
Smith RI (1977) Physiological and reproductive adaptations of Nereis diversicolor to life in the Baltic Sea and adjacent waters. In: Reish DJ, Fauchald K (eds). Essays on polychaetous annelids in memory of Dr. Olga Hartman. Los Angeles: Allan Hancock Foundation, University of Southern California, 373–390
Tosuji H, Sato M (2006) Salinity favorable for early development and gamete compatibility in two sympatric estuarine species of the genus Hediste (Polychaeta: Nereididae) in the Ariake Sea, Japan. Mar Biol 148:529–539
Tosuji H, Sato M (2012) A simple method to identify Hediste sibling species (Polychaeta: Nereididae) using multiplex PCR amplification of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. Plankton Benthos Res 7:195–202
Tosuji H, Miyamoto J, Hayata Y, Sato M (2004) Karyotyping of female and male Hediste japonica (Polychaeta, Annelida) in comparison with those of two closely related species, H. diadroma and H. atoka. Zool Sci 21:147–152
Tosuji H, Togami K, Miyamoto J (2010) Karyotypic analysis of the hermaphroditic viviparous polychaete, Hediste limnicola (Polychaeta: Nereididae): possibility of sex chromosome degeneration. J Mar Biol Ass UK 90:613–616
Wonham MJ, Carlton JT (2005) Trends in marine biological invasions at local and regional scales: the Northeast Pacific Ocean as a model system. Biol Invas 7:369–392
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to Earl Dawley and Bob Emmett (Point Adams Research Station, Northwest Fisheries Science Center) and John Chapman (Oregon State University, Hatfield Marine Science Center) for assistance in collecting worms, and to John Chapman for reviewing an early version of this manuscript. We also thank James T. Carlton (Williams College) for information of his unpublished data and for his helpful comments on the manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Communicated by U. Sommer.
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nishizawa, R., Sato, M., Furota, T. et al. Cryptic invasion of northeast Pacific estuaries by the Asian polychaete, Hediste diadroma (Nereididae). Mar Biol 161, 187–194 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-013-2328-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-013-2328-z