Assessing impacts of invasive phytoplankton: the Baltic Sea case.
Mar Pollut Bull
; 60(10): 1691-700, 2010 Oct.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-20655073
ABSTRACT
There is an increasing understanding and requirement to take into account the effects of invasive alien species (IAS) in environmental quality assessments. While IAS are listed amongst the most important factors threatening marine biodiversity, information on their impacts remains unquantified, especially for phytoplankton species. This study attempts to assess the impacts of invasive alien phytoplankton in the Baltic Sea during 1980-2008. A bioinvasion impact assessment method (BPL - biopollution level index) was applied to phytoplankton monitoring data collected from eleven sub-regions of the Baltic Sea. BPL takes into account abundance and distribution range of an alien species and the magnitude of the impact on native communities, habitats and ecosystem functioning. Of the 12 alien/cryptogenic phytoplankton species recorded in the Baltic Sea only one (the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum) was categorized as an IAS, causing a recognizable environmental effect.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Phytoplankton
/
Environmental Monitoring
/
Environment
/
Introduced Species
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
Mar Pollut Bull
Year:
2010
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country: