Ficopomatus enigmaticus

Last updated

Ficopomatus enigmaticus
Ficopomatus enigmaticus tube colony.jpg
Australian tubeworm colony
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Class: Polychaeta
Order: Sabellida
Family: Serpulidae
Genus: Ficopomatus
Species:
F. enigmaticus
Binomial name
Ficopomatus enigmaticus
(Fauvel, 1923)
Synonyms
  • Mercierella enigmatica
    Fauvel, 1923
  • Phycopomatus enigmaticus
    (Fauvel, 1923)

Ficopomatus enigmaticus, commonly known as the Australian tubeworm, [1] [2] is a species of serpulid tubeworms. Their true native range is unknown, [3] [4] but they probably originated in the Southern Hemisphere, [1] [5] perhaps from the Indian Ocean and the coastal waters of Australia. [2] [6] Today they have a cosmopolitan distribution, having been introduced to shallow waters worldwide. [3] [7] The Australian tubeworm is an invasive species that dominates and alters habitats, reduces water quality, depletes resources, and causes biofouling. [2]

Contents

Taxonomy

Ficopomatus enigmaticus is classified in the genus Ficopomatus in the family Serpulidae. [1] They are polychaetes belonging to the order Canalipalpata, the bristle-footed or fan-head worms. [8] The species was first described by the French zoologist Pierre Fauvel in 1923 as Mercierella enigmatica. [9]

Description

Australian tubeworms are usually about 2 to 2.5 cm (0.79 to 0.98 in) long, and up to 4 cm (1.6 in) at times. On the front end are up to 20 branching gill plumes, which are gray, green, or brown in color. The worms secrete a calcareous tube around themselves, which reaches up to 10 cm (3.9 in) long by 2 cm (0.79 in) wide. The tubes are white and turn brown with age. They are flared at the opening and has flaring rings along their lengths. [2] The mouth can be sealed with a spiny covering (the operculum). [6]

Australian tubeworms always live colonially, with many tubes growing together to form small clusters or large reefs. [3] The aggregations are very dense. There can be up to 180,000 worms per square meter of reef, with the tube openings just about a millimeter apart. The tubes stick together with layers of tiny crystals. The tubes may weave together, and as new worms settle on the outer surface, the reef becomes a solid mass. [10] Reefs of worms can be over 7 m (23 ft) long. [2] When the invasion of Lake of Tunis in Tunisia was at its most severe, the total reef mass of the lagoon was thought to contain about 540,000 tons of carbonate. [11] In shallow water, a reef can be circular in shape as new worms settle along the outer edges. Neighboring reefs may join together to make platforms. In a current, the reef can be elongated. [11]

Biology

Australian tubeworms are generally found in temperate and subtropical climates. They live in waters up to 3 m (9.8 ft) deep in habitat types such as estuaries and lagoons. [2] They can tolerate a wide range of salinities, and can be found in marine and hypersaline environments, However, they are most common in brackish water. [11] They are sensitive to wave action, [2] and reefs usually grow in protected areas with slow-moving or stagnant water. [4] The larvae are trochophores that drift with the zooplankton and settle onto the substrate after 20 to 25 days. [2] They may build their tubes on established reefs or on beds of rock or shells, rocky or woody debris, reefs of other animals such as oysters, beds of vegetation, structures such as docks, piers, and marinas, or objects such as pilings and boats. [4]

On the coast of South Africa, Australian tubeworms have been observed growing on the aquatic plant Potamogeton pectinatus . [12] In Argentina, the larvae settle on shells such as those of the sea snail Adelomelon brasiliana and the clams Mactra isabelleana and Tagelus plebeius . [7] In the Black Sea the reefs are associated with barnacles of the genus Balanus , caridean shrimp of the genus Palaemon , mud crabs of the genus Xantho , amphipods of the genus Orchestia , and isopods of the genus Sphaeroma . [13] Some tubeworm reefs also have colonies of bryozoans built into them. [11]

They are filter feeders, gathering zooplankton, phytoplankton, and detritus particles from the water and transporting them to their mouths with the cilia on their gill plumes. [2] [4] During their larval stage, they feed on phytoplankton. [4] They reproduce sexually, releasing eggs and sperm into the water during spawning. They are iteroparous, able to produce more than one batch of offspring. [2] They are also protandric hermaphrodites, changing sex from males to females. The older, larger worms in a colony are generally female. [11] Their lifespan is 4 to 8 years. [4]

As an invasive species

A colony in a lagoon in Italy Ficopomatus enigmaticus 2.jpg
A colony in a lagoon in Italy

The Australian tubeworm is a fast-growing, aggressive species that acts as an ecosystem engineer, having drastic effects on many aspects of their environment. The worms alter the ecosystem physically, chemically, and biologically. [2]

The bulky reefs formed by large colonies of Australian tubeworms impede the movement of water, allowing sediment to build up around them. [2] [14] They decrease the aesthetic value of natural lagoons, encrust the hulls of ships, clog the intakes of power plants, pose a hazard to people engaging in water recreation, [2] and block mechanical structures such as locks. [4] They are important biofouling organisms, forming heavy crusts on any suitable surface. Unclogging of pipes and cleaning of boats and harbor structures is costly. [11]

Australian tubeworms easily dominate ecosystems and outcompete native fauna when colonies deplete nutrients with large-scale filter feeding. [2] They can also survive in polluted and eutrophic, low-oxygen waters that other organisms cannot tolerate as well. [11] They can provide surfaces for the growth of other introduced species, such as the hydrozoan Cordylophora caspia and the barnacle Balanus improvisus . They can also facilitate the overgrowth of algae. [4] In sewage-polluted waters they can thrive on the organic particles, creating large colonies that become covered in algae, further decreasing the water quality. [11] They are known to form colonies on the shells of living animals, such as turtles, molluscs, and crabs. [11]

Some of the effects of the tubeworm are initially positive. Their efficient filter feeding clears the water of particles, increasing oxygen. [2] They increase species richness and animal abundance by providing shelter and improved water quality. The microfauna increase. Larger populations of life forms attract detritivores. Reefs are used as resting spots by birds such as swans. [11] Positive effects of the worm can be outweighed by their dominance of the ecosystem. As they feed, they can deplete resources, and by doing so they have been known to replace native species in the habitat. [2] They shelter and support other introduced species. [4] Even when they benefit native species, the outcome can be detrimental. For example, in Argentina the reefs are inhabited by the omnivorous native crab Cyrtograpsus angulatus , which forms dense populations once established. They then prey heavily on many other species. They also increase turbidity and alter the substrate with their burrowing activity. [14]

Australian tubeworms are introduced to new habitat when they are transported on ship hulls, in ballasts, and on shells. [6] Management options are mainly limited to the prevention of new introductions. Methods include deoxygenating ballast water to kill larvae and simply scraping the tubes off of ships and other surfaces. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siboglinidae</span> Family of annelid worms

Siboglinidae is a family of polychaete annelid worms whose members made up the former phyla Pogonophora and Vestimentifera. They are composed of about 100 species of vermiform creatures which live in thin tubes buried in sediments (Pogonophora) or in tubes attached to hard substratum (Vestimentifera) at ocean depths from 100 to 10,000 m. They can also be found in association with hydrothermal vents, methane seeps, sunken plant material, or whale carcasses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthozoa</span> Class of cnidarians without a medusa stage

Anthozoa is a class of marine invertebrates which includes the sea anemones, stony corals and soft corals. Adult anthozoans are almost all attached to the seabed, while their larvae can disperse as part of the plankton. The basic unit of the adult is the polyp; this consists of a cylindrical column topped by a disc with a central mouth surrounded by tentacles. Sea anemones are mostly solitary, but the majority of corals are colonial, being formed by the budding of new polyps from an original, founding individual. Colonies are strengthened by calcium carbonate and other materials and take various massive, plate-like, bushy or leafy forms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cold seep</span> Ocean floor area where hydrogen sulfide, methane and other hydrocarbon-rich fluid seepage occurs

A cold seep is an area of the ocean floor where hydrogen sulfide, methane and other hydrocarbon-rich fluid seepage occurs, often in the form of a brine pool. Cold does not mean that the temperature of the seepage is lower than that of the surrounding sea water. On the contrary, its temperature is often slightly higher. The "cold" is relative to the very warm conditions of a hydrothermal vent. Cold seeps constitute a biome supporting several endemic species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary</span> Marine protected area in Florida, USA

The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is a U.S. National Marine Sanctuary in the Florida Keys. It includes the Florida Reef, the only barrier coral reef in North America and the third-largest coral barrier reef in the world. It also has extensive mangrove forest and seagrass fields. The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, designated in 1990, is the ninth national marine sanctuary to be established in a system that comprises 13 sanctuaries and two marine national monuments. The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary protects approximately 2,900 square nautical miles of coastal and ocean waters from the estuarine waters of south Florida along the Florida Keys archipelago, encompassing more than 1,700 islands, out to the Dry Tortugas National Park, reaching into the Atlantic Ocean, Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine ecosystem</span> Ecosystem in saltwater environment

Marine ecosystems are the largest of Earth's aquatic ecosystems and exist in waters that have a high salt content. These systems contrast with freshwater ecosystems, which have a lower salt content. Marine waters cover more than 70% of the surface of the Earth and account for more than 97% of Earth's water supply and 90% of habitable space on Earth. Seawater has an average salinity of 35 parts per thousand of water. Actual salinity varies among different marine ecosystems. Marine ecosystems can be divided into many zones depending upon water depth and shoreline features. The oceanic zone is the vast open part of the ocean where animals such as whales, sharks, and tuna live. The benthic zone consists of substrates below water where many invertebrates live. The intertidal zone is the area between high and low tides. Other near-shore (neritic) zones can include mudflats, seagrass meadows, mangroves, rocky intertidal systems, salt marshes, coral reefs, lagoons. In the deep water, hydrothermal vents may occur where chemosynthetic sulfur bacteria form the base of the food web.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eunicidae</span> Family of annelids

Eunicidae is a family of marine polychaetes. The family comprises marine annelids distributed in diverse benthic habitats across Oceania, Europe, South America, North America, Asia and Africa. The Eunicid anatomy typically consists of a pair of appendages near the mouth (mandibles) and complex sets of muscular structures on the head (maxillae) in an eversible pharynx. One of the most conspicuous of the eunicids is the giant, dark-purple, iridescent "Bobbit worm", a bristle worm found at low tide under boulders on southern Australian shores. Its robust, muscular body can be as long as 2 m. Eunicidae jaws are known from as far back as Ordovician sediments. Cultural tradition surrounds Palola worm reproductive cycles in the South Pacific Islands. Eunicidae are economically valuable as bait in both recreational and commercial fishing. Commercial bait-farming of Eunicidae can have adverse ecological impacts. Bait-farming can deplete worm and associated fauna population numbers, damage local intertidal environments and introduce alien species to local aquatic ecosystems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serpulidae</span> Family of annelids

The Serpulidae are a family of sessile, tube-building annelid worms in the class Polychaeta. The members of this family differ from other sabellid tube worms in that they have a specialized operculum that blocks the entrance of their tubes when they withdraw into the tubes. In addition, serpulids secrete tubes of calcium carbonate. Serpulids are the most important biomineralizers among annelids. About 300 species in the family Serpulidae are known, all but one of which live in saline waters. The earliest serpulids are known from the Permian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canalipalpata</span> Order of annelid worms

Canalipalpata, also known as bristle-footed annelids or fan-head worms, is an order of polychaete worms, with 31 families in it including the suborder Sabellida (families Serpulidae and Sabellidae and the Alvinellidae, a family of deep-sea worms associated with hydrothermal vents.

A tubeworm is any worm-like sessile invertebrate that anchors its tail to an underwater surface and secretes around its body a mineral tube, into which it can withdraw its entire body.

<i>Serpula</i> Genus of annelid worms

Serpula is a genus of sessile, marine annelid tube worms that belongs to the family Serpulidae. Serpulid worms are very similar to tube worms of the closely related sabellid family, except that the former possess a cartilaginous operculum that occludes the entrance to their protective tube after the animal has withdrawn into it. The most distinctive feature of worms of the genus Serpula is their colorful fan-shaped "crown". The crown, used by these animals for respiration and alimentation, is the structure that is most commonly seen by scuba divers and other casual observers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radiole</span>

A radiole is a heavily ciliated feather-like tentacle found in highly organized clusters on the crowns of Canalipalpata. Canalipalpata is an order of sessile marine polychaete worms consisting of 31 families. These benthic annelid tube worms employ radioles primarily for alimentation. While their primary role is to function as an organ for filter feeding, radioles also serve as respiratory organs. Because of their role in gas exchange, radioles are often referred to as "gills".

<i>Hydroides norvegica</i> Species of annelid worm

Hydroides norvegica is a species of tube-forming annelid worm in the family Serpulidae. It is found on submerged rocks, shells, piles and boats in many coastal areas around the world. It is the type species of the genus Hydroides.

<i>Pododesmus patelliformis</i> Species of bivalve

Pododesmus patelliformis, the ribbed saddle-oyster, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Anomiidae. It is found in the north east Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Sabellastarte spectabilis</i> Species of annelid worm

Sabellastarte spectabilis is a species of benthic marine polychaete worm in the Sabellidae family. It is commonly known as the feather duster worm, feather duster or fan worm. It is native to tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific but has spread to other parts of the world. It is popular in aquariums because of its distinctive appearance and its ability to remove organic particles and improve water quality.

<i>Serpula vermicularis</i> Species of annelid worm

Serpula vermicularis, known by common names including the calcareous tubeworm, fan worm, plume worm or red tube worm, is a species of segmented marine polychaete worm in the family Serpulidae. It is the type species of the genus Serpula and was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1767 12th edition of Systema Naturae. It lives in a tube into which it can retract.

Kuphus is a genus of shipworms, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Teredinidae. While there are four extinct species in the genus, the only extant species is Kuphus polythalamius. It is the longest bivalve mollusc in the world, where the only known permanent natural habitat is Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat in the Philippines.

Amathia verticillata, commonly known as the spaghetti bryozoan, is a species of colonial bryozoans with a bush-like structure. It is found in shallow temperate and warm waters in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea and has spread worldwide as a fouling organism. It is regarded as an invasive species in some countries.

<i>Madracis auretenra</i> Species of coral

Madracis auretenra, commonly known as the yellow finger coral or yellow pencil coral, is a colonial species of stony coral in the family Pocilloporidae. It is a fairly common species and is found in the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic Ocean. At one time this species was not recognised, but it was split from Madracis mirabilis on the grounds of morphology and depth range.

<i>Spirobranchus cariniferus</i> Species of annelid worm

Spirobranchus cariniferus, commonly known as the blue tubeworm or spiny tubeworm, or by its Māori name toke pā, is a species of tube-building polychaete worm endemic to New Zealand.

Hydroides ezoensis is a species of tube-forming annelid worm in the family Serpulidae. It is native to the temperate northern Pacific and the central Indo-Pacific and is found in the intertidal zone and on submerged rocks, shells, pilings, jetties and boats.

References

  1. 1 2 3 ten Hove, H., et al. (2013). Ficopomatus enigmaticus (Fauvel, 1923). In: Read, G. and K. Fauchald. (Eds.) World Polychaeta Database. World Register of Marine Species.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Ficopomatus enigmaticus. Global Invasive Species Database. ISSG.
  3. 1 2 3 Read, G. B. Ficopomatus enigmaticus. Annelid Resources. 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ficopomatus enigmaticus. National Exotic Marine and Estuarine Species Information System (NEMESIS). Marine Invasions Research Lab. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
  5. ↑ Ficopomatus enigmaticus. Joint Nature Conservation Committee, United Kingdom.
  6. 1 2 3 Cohen, A. N. 2011. Ficopomatus enigmaticus. The Exotics Guide. Center for Research on Aquatic Bioinvasions and San Francisco Estuary Institute.
  7. 1 2 Schwindt, E. and O. O. Iribarne. (2000). Settlement sites, survival and effects on benthos of an introduced reef-building polychaete in a SW Atlantic coastal lagoon. Bulletin of Marine Science 67(1), 73-82.
  8. ↑ Canalipalpata. BBC Nature Wildlife.
  9. ↑ Fauvel, P. (1923). "Un nouveau serpulien d'eau saumatre Merceriella n.g., enigmatica n.sp". Bulletin de la Société Zoologique de France. 47: 424–430.
  10. ↑ Aliani, S., et al. (1995). Scanning electron microscope observations on the tube of the reef-forming serpulid Ficopomatus enigmaticus (Fauvel) (Annelida, Polychaeta). Italian Journal of Zoology 62(4), 363-67.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Dittmann, S.; et al. (2009), Habitat requirements, distribution and colonisation of the tubeworm Ficopomatus enigmaticus in the Lower Lakes and Coorong (PDF), Adelaide: Report for the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board, Wikidata   Q114358255
  12. ↑ Davies, B. R., et al. (1989). The filtration activity of a serpulid polychaete population (Ficopomatus enigmaticus (Fauvel) and its effects on water quality in a coastal marina. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 29(6), 613-20.
  13. ↑ Habitat: Pontic Ficopomatus enigmaticus reefs. European Environment Agency, EU.
  14. 1 2 Schwindt, E., et al. (2001). Invasion of a reef-builder polychaete: direct and indirect impacts on the native benthic community structure. Archived 2013-11-10 at the Wayback Machine Biological Invasions 3, 137-49.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.