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George Mason University
The Facilitation of the Invasive Alga Gracilaria vermiculophylla by a Native Decorator Worm (Diopatra cupre) in Mid-Atlantic Estuaries of the United States
Abstract
The establishment of a non-native organism can have dramatic consequences for native biodiversity, though this is not always straightforward. The predatory marine worm Diopatra cuprea anchors shells, algae, and plant matter to its tube in Mid-Atlantic salt marshes. This anchoring behavior has assisted the persistence and spread of the red alga Gracilaria vermiculophylla in soft-sediment habitats. This dissertation (1) examined decoration preferences of D. cuprea for G. vermiculophylla, (2) surveyed invertebrate communities which settle on G. vermiculophylla in the field and invertebrate settlement preference in the laboratory, and (3) compared D. cuprea decoration patterns across states and seasons.
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author
-
- Mott, Alexander Whitney
Subjects
dc:subject × 5Identifiers
dc:identifier.*- Identifier
- hdl:1920/14479
- OAI identifier oai:identifier
- oai:MARS:1920/14479