No Cover Image

E-Thesis 449 views 268 downloads

Harbouring Aliens: Ports as Habitats for Non-native Species / SAMUEL HOLMES

Swansea University Author: SAMUEL HOLMES

DOI (Published version): 10.23889/SUthesis.58749

Abstract

Non-native species are widely regarded as a significant environmental threat and have been associated with biodiversity loss, species extinctions and the altering of ecosystem services. Shipping is the largest transport vector for aquatic species worldwide and ports, being central to this industry,...

Full description

Published: Swansea 2021
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Doctoral
Degree name: Ph.D
Supervisor: Callaway, Ruth
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa58749
first_indexed 2021-11-22T14:58:28Z
last_indexed 2021-11-23T04:24:22Z
id cronfa58749
recordtype RisThesis
fullrecord <?xml version="1.0"?><rfc1807><datestamp>2021-11-22T15:10:31.9605245</datestamp><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>58749</id><entry>2021-11-22</entry><title>Harbouring Aliens: Ports as Habitats for Non-native Species</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>7d20cfc2b89e4e95a26c3a1fc0962601</sid><firstname>SAMUEL</firstname><surname>HOLMES</surname><name>SAMUEL HOLMES</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2021-11-22</date><abstract>Non-native species are widely regarded as a significant environmental threat and have been associated with biodiversity loss, species extinctions and the altering of ecosystem services. Shipping is the largest transport vector for aquatic species worldwide and ports, being central to this industry, are considered potential &#x2018;hotspots&#x2019; for non-native species introductions. Ports are often heavily industrialised areas which can hinder access and the use of standard survey methods. As such, our knowledge of non-native species within UK ports is poor. As the foundation for this research I developed two different settlement surveys designed specifically to overcome some of the obstacles associated with working within active port environments. Surveys were deployed across five ports in South Wales, UK. I detected 13 non-native species and described the wider fouling communities present within each studied port. Whole community structure and their succession varied highly between ports, with salinity being the primary driver of differences between port communities. Significant differences in the observed non-native species between ports, independent of geographic proximity, highlighted the need to monitor individual ports with a view to implementing bespoke, effective management strategies. Colonisation of different material substrates was quantified and revealed that whilst the community structure varied between material types, non-native species would readily colonise all studied materials. These findings have particular importance for the management of non-native species within ports and have been used to inform port biosecurity procedures within the studied region. The successful deployment of the tailored survey methods within active ports will encourage regular monitoring for non-native species within UK ports. This research also showed that collaborations between researchers and port authorities can be highly effective for both parties and may indeed be necessary if we are to successfully manage aquatic non-native species within the UK.</abstract><type>E-Thesis</type><journal/><volume/><journalNumber/><paginationStart/><paginationEnd/><publisher/><placeOfPublication>Swansea</placeOfPublication><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint/><issnElectronic/><keywords>Non-native species; Ports; Maritime trade; Fouling communities; Benthic macrofauna; Ecological surveys</keywords><publishedDay>22</publishedDay><publishedMonth>11</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2021</publishedYear><publishedDate>2021-11-22</publishedDate><doi>10.23889/SUthesis.58749</doi><url/><notes>ORCiD identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8704-4548</notes><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><supervisor>Callaway, Ruth</supervisor><degreelevel>Doctoral</degreelevel><degreename>Ph.D</degreename><degreesponsorsfunders>KESSII</degreesponsorsfunders><apcterm/><lastEdited>2021-11-22T15:10:31.9605245</lastEdited><Created>2021-11-22T14:55:52.4343929</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Science and Engineering</level><level id="2">School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences</level></path><authors><author><firstname>SAMUEL</firstname><surname>HOLMES</surname><order>1</order></author></authors><documents><document><filename>58749__21632__6c974bd0d1254600a5e1ff114b494804.pdf</filename><originalFilename>Holmes_Samuel_J_PhD_Thesis_Final_Redacted_Signature.pdf</originalFilename><uploaded>2021-11-22T15:07:50.0809862</uploaded><type>Output</type><contentLength>17218650</contentLength><contentType>application/pdf</contentType><version>E-Thesis &#x2013; open access</version><cronfaStatus>true</cronfaStatus><documentNotes>Copyright: The author, Samuel J. Holmes, 2021.</documentNotes><copyrightCorrect>true</copyrightCorrect><language>eng</language></document></documents><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling 2021-11-22T15:10:31.9605245 v2 58749 2021-11-22 Harbouring Aliens: Ports as Habitats for Non-native Species 7d20cfc2b89e4e95a26c3a1fc0962601 SAMUEL HOLMES SAMUEL HOLMES true false 2021-11-22 Non-native species are widely regarded as a significant environmental threat and have been associated with biodiversity loss, species extinctions and the altering of ecosystem services. Shipping is the largest transport vector for aquatic species worldwide and ports, being central to this industry, are considered potential ‘hotspots’ for non-native species introductions. Ports are often heavily industrialised areas which can hinder access and the use of standard survey methods. As such, our knowledge of non-native species within UK ports is poor. As the foundation for this research I developed two different settlement surveys designed specifically to overcome some of the obstacles associated with working within active port environments. Surveys were deployed across five ports in South Wales, UK. I detected 13 non-native species and described the wider fouling communities present within each studied port. Whole community structure and their succession varied highly between ports, with salinity being the primary driver of differences between port communities. Significant differences in the observed non-native species between ports, independent of geographic proximity, highlighted the need to monitor individual ports with a view to implementing bespoke, effective management strategies. Colonisation of different material substrates was quantified and revealed that whilst the community structure varied between material types, non-native species would readily colonise all studied materials. These findings have particular importance for the management of non-native species within ports and have been used to inform port biosecurity procedures within the studied region. The successful deployment of the tailored survey methods within active ports will encourage regular monitoring for non-native species within UK ports. This research also showed that collaborations between researchers and port authorities can be highly effective for both parties and may indeed be necessary if we are to successfully manage aquatic non-native species within the UK. E-Thesis Swansea Non-native species; Ports; Maritime trade; Fouling communities; Benthic macrofauna; Ecological surveys 22 11 2021 2021-11-22 10.23889/SUthesis.58749 ORCiD identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8704-4548 COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Callaway, Ruth Doctoral Ph.D KESSII 2021-11-22T15:10:31.9605245 2021-11-22T14:55:52.4343929 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences SAMUEL HOLMES 1 58749__21632__6c974bd0d1254600a5e1ff114b494804.pdf Holmes_Samuel_J_PhD_Thesis_Final_Redacted_Signature.pdf 2021-11-22T15:07:50.0809862 Output 17218650 application/pdf E-Thesis – open access true Copyright: The author, Samuel J. Holmes, 2021. true eng
title Harbouring Aliens: Ports as Habitats for Non-native Species
spellingShingle Harbouring Aliens: Ports as Habitats for Non-native Species
SAMUEL HOLMES
title_short Harbouring Aliens: Ports as Habitats for Non-native Species
title_full Harbouring Aliens: Ports as Habitats for Non-native Species
title_fullStr Harbouring Aliens: Ports as Habitats for Non-native Species
title_full_unstemmed Harbouring Aliens: Ports as Habitats for Non-native Species
title_sort Harbouring Aliens: Ports as Habitats for Non-native Species
author_id_str_mv 7d20cfc2b89e4e95a26c3a1fc0962601
author_id_fullname_str_mv 7d20cfc2b89e4e95a26c3a1fc0962601_***_SAMUEL HOLMES
author SAMUEL HOLMES
author2 SAMUEL HOLMES
format E-Thesis
publishDate 2021
institution Swansea University
doi_str_mv 10.23889/SUthesis.58749
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description Non-native species are widely regarded as a significant environmental threat and have been associated with biodiversity loss, species extinctions and the altering of ecosystem services. Shipping is the largest transport vector for aquatic species worldwide and ports, being central to this industry, are considered potential ‘hotspots’ for non-native species introductions. Ports are often heavily industrialised areas which can hinder access and the use of standard survey methods. As such, our knowledge of non-native species within UK ports is poor. As the foundation for this research I developed two different settlement surveys designed specifically to overcome some of the obstacles associated with working within active port environments. Surveys were deployed across five ports in South Wales, UK. I detected 13 non-native species and described the wider fouling communities present within each studied port. Whole community structure and their succession varied highly between ports, with salinity being the primary driver of differences between port communities. Significant differences in the observed non-native species between ports, independent of geographic proximity, highlighted the need to monitor individual ports with a view to implementing bespoke, effective management strategies. Colonisation of different material substrates was quantified and revealed that whilst the community structure varied between material types, non-native species would readily colonise all studied materials. These findings have particular importance for the management of non-native species within ports and have been used to inform port biosecurity procedures within the studied region. The successful deployment of the tailored survey methods within active ports will encourage regular monitoring for non-native species within UK ports. This research also showed that collaborations between researchers and port authorities can be highly effective for both parties and may indeed be necessary if we are to successfully manage aquatic non-native species within the UK.
published_date 2021-11-22T20:07:46Z
_version_ 1821346801883545600
score 11.04748

Similar Items