Nina Schaefer, Melanie J Bishop, Ana B Bugnot, Cian Foster-Thorpe, Brett Herbert, Andrew S Hoey, Mariana Mayer-Pinto, Shinichi Nakagawa, Craig D H Sherman, Maria L Vozzo, Katherine A Dafforn
Marine artificial structures provide substrates on which organisms can settle and grow. These structures facilitate establishment and spread of non-indigenous species, in part due to their distinct physical features (substrate material, movement, orientation) compared to natural habitat analogues such as rocky shores, and because following construction, they have abundant resources (space) for species to colonise. Despite the perceived importance of these habitat features, few studies have directly compared distributions of native and non-indigenous species or considered how functional identity and associated environmental preferences drive associations...
April 12, 2024: Marine Environmental Research