Dr. Brante-Ramirez, Antonio

Growing coastal urbanization together with the intensification of maritime traffic are major processes explaining the increasing rate of biological introductions in marine environments. To investigate the link between international maritime traffic and the establishment of non-indigenous species (NIS) in coastal areas, biofouling communities in three international and three nearby local ports along 100 km of coastline in south-central Chile were compared using settlement panels and rapid assessment surveys. A larger number of NIS was observed in international ports, as expected in these ‘invasion hubs’. However, despite a few environmental differences between international and local ports, the two port categories did not display significant differences regarding NIS establishment and contribution to community structure over the studied period (1.5 years). In international ports, the free space could be a limiting factor for NIS establishment. The results also suggest that local ports should be considered in NIS surveillance programs in Chile.

Ship hull fouling is recognized as an important vector for the introduction of nonindigenous species (NIS), which has been studied globally but no empirical works exist in the Southeast Pacific. The present study examined fouling organisms on the hulls of three ships in one international Chilean port, and compared them with those on settling plates and natural substrates. Also, genetic analyses were perfomed on the most common NIS recorded in order to explore number and potential origin of the genetic linages found. The highest number of total taxa and NIS were found on ship hulls, with three species identified as NIS in ship samplings. Settling plates displayed the largest number of taxa, with a large abundance of the invasive tunicate Ciona robusta, which also showed high mitochondrial genetic diversity. This study showed that Chilean coasts are subjected to both NIS colonization and propagule pressure through ship hulls. Biosecurity measures should urgently be taken on ship hulls along these coasts.