Invasive Species and Native Australian Clams
Using funds from the International Research Opportunities Program (IROP), ecology, evolution and behavior student Lena Collins studied the effect of?Caulerpa taxifolia?on native clams in Wollongong, Australia.? An invasive seaweed,?Caulerpa?taxifolia?grows everywhere from the surface of the ocean to the lower limits of underwater vegetation. Because this alga spreads by fragmentation and vegetative growth and is toxic to many grazers, it is nearly impossible to stop?Caulerpa’s spread. It now covers thousands of acres in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as being present in Australia and California.
To study the impact of?Caulerpa taxifolia?on the vulnerability of?Anadara trapezia?to predators and parasites, Lena performed research at St. George’s Basin, Australia. She placed 24 cages containing 10 clams each inside and outside of?Caulerpa taxifolia?beds and assessed the clams’ mortality and health over a five-week period. She also collected clams from three different habitats—bare sediment, native seagrass, and?Caulerpa taxifolia?beds—and noticed distinct differences in parasite damage, the most occurring in the?Caulerpa?beds.
Assistant Professor James Byers of the zoology department served as Lena’s UNH mentor, and she studied alongside University of Wollongong Professor Jeff Wright in Australia.
