Full description
Disturbance events are thought to provide an opportunity for the colonisation and establishment of invasive species. Contamination of coastal waters with copper from sewage outfall and antifouling paints may create a disturbance that favours the establishment of introduced sessile invertebrates. This study examines if the frequency of experimentally applied doses of copper sulfate increases the abundance of introduced sessile invertebrate species within developing (2-weeks old) and established (9-months old) assemblages. Responses to regular and irregularly applied doses of copper were also tested in developing assemblages.This dataset gives the effects of copper pulse frequency on the number of native and introduced taxa within established (9 month-old) sessile invertebrate assemblages. Experimental manipulations were carried out in Port Phillip Bay at Workshops Jetty, Williamstown, Victoria over a 10 week period between October and December 2004. Nine-month old sessile invertebrate assemblages established on Perspex plates were subjected to three treatments: an undosed control, or copper pulses applied every 2 or 4 weeks.
Lineage
Maintenance and Update Frequency: notPlanned
Statement: Roughened black Perspex plates (110 x 110 x 6mm) were used to establish sessile invertebrate colonies. Plates were bolted onto PVC panels (800 x 800 x 5mm) at least 6mm apart. Panels with Perspex plates attached were positioned in the water column so that the developing colonies faced the sediment surface. This was done to minimise algal growth and sedimentation on the assemblages.
Individual plaster blocks were made using 3g of analytical grade CuSO4 dissolved in 13ml of deionised water. This solution was chilled and mixed with 15g of CSR dental plaster and poured into 4mm diameter moulds. A stainless steel bolt was inserted head down into the centre of each mould to provide a means of attaching the blocks to the plates. The solution was allowed to set at 30°C for 7 days. Control blocks were made in the same way but without the addition of CuSO4.
Species identification and counts were made using a binocular dissecting microscope. Where possible the number of individuals on the entire plate was counted, excluding the 5mm perimeter of the plate and the area covered by the plaster block. Where the abundance of a species was > 100 individuals per plate, abundance was estimated from counts obtained on four random 20mm2 quadrats on each plate. These values were averaged and scaled up to numbers of individuals per plate. The abundance of colonial species was quantified as percentage cover. This was done by placing a 100 x 100mm grid of 100 equal sized squares above the plate and counting the number of times the intersecting lines overlaid a portion of a colonial species.
Statement: 1. Source:
a. Dataset: This dataset gives the effects of copper pulse frequency on the number of native and introduced taxa within established sessile invertebrate assemblages. Studies were carried out over 10 weeks between October and December 2004 in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria at Workshops Jetty, Williamstown. Sessile invertebrate assemblages were established on Perspex plates attached to a backing panel (see collectionHardware) and placed in the water column at a minimum depth of 2-3 m. To minimise algal growth and sedimentation on the assemblages the panels were positioned so that the developing colonies faced the sediment. After nine months sessile invertebrates assemblages on these Perspex plates were subject to three copper treatments: an undosed control, or copper pulses applied every 2 or 4 weeks. Plaster blocks made from dental plaster mixed with copper sulfate were used to create a localized region of higher copper concentration lasting ~ 2 days. Blocks were also made without copper and used as undosed controls (see collection Hardware). Each treatment was applied to 6 replicate plates. Two of the six replicates were attached to each of three backing panels and returned to the water column. After 10 weeks plates were retrieved for identification and enumeration of sessile invertebrates using a binocular dissecting microscope (see collectionHardware).
The data columns in the dataset are: Panel (1, 2, 3) Treatment (Cont, undosed plaster block applied; 4, copper block applied once every 4 weeks; 2, copper block applied every 2 weeks NB: Whenever a particular treatment recieved a copper block, all other plates recieved an undosed control block); Status (Introduced, Native, Unknown), The remaining columns give the number of individuals per plate for each identified taxa.
For more details on the methods and experimental design see Loughman, R.J. (2005). Do disturbances facilitate invasion of marine invertebrate assemblages by pests? Honours Thesis, Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne.
b. Scale: counts are express as either number of individuals per plate or as percentage cover
c. Media Types: Not Relevant
d. Date: October-December 2004
e. Dates of various parts of the process:
Colonies establishment over 9 months between January 2004 and September 2004
Copper pulse treatments applied over 10 weeks, between October 2004 & December 2004.
Identification and enumeration of taxa on plates at the end of the experiment in December 2004.
2. Processing Steps:
a. Intermediate processing steps (after data capture): see collectionHardware
b. Methods used to generate final product: Not Relevant
Notes
CreditThis thesis was supervised by Dr Nathan Knott and Professor Mick Keough.
Credit
Parks Victoria gave permission to work at Workshops Jetty, Williamstown.
Parks Victoria gave permission to work at Workshops Jetty, Williamstown.
Purpose
To determine whether the frequency of exposure to copper pulses influences the abundance of introduced sessile invertebrates within established sessile invertebrate communities.
To determine whether the frequency of exposure to copper pulses influences the abundance of introduced sessile invertebrates within established sessile invertebrate communities.
Created: 27 02 2007
Data time period: 2004-10-01 to 2004-12-30
text: westlimit=144.5; southlimit=-38.0; eastlimit=145.0; northlimit=-37.5
text: uplimit=1; downlimit=0
Subjects
10 000000 |
11 500000 |
20 000000 |
22 000000 |
27 500000 |
35 000000 |
Arborescent bryozoan |
Ascidiacea |
BIOSPHERE |
Barnacles |
Bryozoa |
COMMUNITY DYNAMICS |
Community Structure |
Contaminants |
Cnidaria |
Colonial ascidian |
EARTH SCIENCE |
ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS |
Encrusting bryozoan |
Oceans | Marine Biology | Marine Invertebrates |
Polychaetes |
Porifera |
Port Phillip Bay, Victoria |
Species Recruitment |
Solitary ascidian |
TERRESTRIAL HYDROSPHERE |
Trace Metals |
WATER QUALITY/WATER CHEMISTRY |
Workshops Jetty, Williamstown |
biota |
copper |
experimental_treatment |
panel_id |
status |
taxonomic_group_count |
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Other Information
Identifiers
- global : 50a2db40-189b-11dc-a8fb-00188b4c0af8
