Coastal ocean acidification and nitrogen loading facilitate invasions of the non-indigenous red macroalga, Dasysiphonia japonica

• Published in: Biological invasions 2021-05, Vol.23 (5), p.1367-1391
• Main Authors: Young, Craig S., Gobler, Christopher J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acidification; Algae; Anthropogenic factors; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Carbon dioxide; Coastal ecosystems; Coastal zone; Dasysiphonia japonica; Developmental Biology; Ecology; Estuaries; Eutrophic rivers; Eutrophication; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Indigenous species; Introduced species; Invasions; Invasive species; Life Sciences; Marine ecosystems; Nitrogen; Nutrient loading; Nutrients; Ocean acidification; Original Paper; Plant Sciences; Seaweeds; Turf; Wastewater; Water circulation; Water column; Water temperature
• ISSN: 1387-3547; 1573-1464
• DOI: 10.1007/s10530-020-02445-9

Coastal ecosystems are prone to multiple anthropogenic and natural stressors including eutrophication, acidification, and invasive species. While the growth of some macroalgae can be promoted by excessive nutrient loading and/or elevated p CO 2 , responses differ among species and ecosystems. Native to the western Pacific Ocean, the filamentous, turf-forming rhodophyte, Dasysiphonia japonica, appeared in estuaries of the northeastern Atlantic Ocean during the 1980s and the northwestern Atlantic Ocean during the late 2000s. Here, we report on the southernmost expansion of the D. japonica in North America and the effects of elevated nutrients and elevated p CO 2 on the growth of D. japonica over an annual cycle in Long Island, New York, USA. Growth limitation of the macroalga varied seasonally. During winter and spring, when water temperatures were