On Soka University of America Week: Introduced species can be a threat to coral reefs.
Marie Nydam, associate professor of biology, dives down to take a look.
Marie Nydam has a BS in Evolution and Ecology from the University of California, Davis. She earned a PhD in Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University and worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Nydam is a marine evolutionary geneticist who uses phylogenomic and population genetic tools to study evolutionary questions. She incorporates undergraduate researchers into all of her research projects, and frequently publishes with undergraduate co-authors. She particularly enjoys working with undergraduates who are interested in marine biology, ecology, genetics/genomics, and/or molecular biology.
Tracking Introduced Species on Coral Reefs
The Mesoamerican Reef stretches 250 km from Mexico to Guatemala and is the second longest continuous reef in the world. The section of the reef in Belize holds high economic value for the Belizean economy. Belizean reefs are threatened by an abundance of fish-traps and gill nets, nutrient pollution, and a lack of areas fully protected from fishing. Additionally, coral and overall ecosystem declines may be exacerbated by a yet unexplored factor: the presence of non-indigenous or introduced species. Indeed, biological invasions cause significant economic ($137 billion annually in the US) and ecological damage, representing the second greatest threat to biodiversity (after habitat destruction).
Marine invertebrates called ascidians (or “sea squirts”) have been proposed as ideal models for studying marine invasion processes; however, few countries currently possess a species catalog of these animals. In the absence of this information, the frequency of introduction events and their cascading impacts on ecosystem health and services cannot be determined. Moreover, ascidians have also been overgrowing and outcompeting corals for over 25 years. Newly introduced marine species are commonly observed first on artificial substrates in harbors prior to secondary spread into native ecosystems. In Belize, no inventory exists of ascidian diversity and abundance in harbors, and no natural habitats have been extensively surveyed since the mid-1990s.
My colleagues and I, working with local Belizean guides, surveyed three natural habitats: coral reefs, seagrasses, mangroves, as well as artificial habitats in harbors, to develop a comprehensive catalog of the ascidian species in Belize. This summer, we will communicate our results to faculty and students at the University of Belize, the Belize Fisheries Department, snorkeling and diving operators, and field station managers. These stakeholders are central partners in monitoring ascidian communities for newly introduced species, or changes in the abundance or distribution of existing introduced species.
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