A Tale of Two Tunicates: Didemnum vexillum and Botrylloides violaceus as Biofouling Agents in Aquaculture
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Date
2018-09-06
Authors
Knorek, Zofia
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
Invasive colonial tunicates pose substantial economic threat to the shellfish aquaculture industry, but their population dynamics and ecological impacts are highly variable and region-specific. This thesis contributes to our regional understanding of two such tunicates in Oregon. The first chapter explores the population dynamics of Didemnum vexillum, one of Oregon’s top 100 most dangerous invasive species, at an oyster farm. From May 2011 to 2016 the population fluctuated extensively, though did not exhibit any net growth over the study period. In the second chapter, I demonstrate that Botrylloides violaceus had no impact on the growth, condition, or organic composition of oysters and mussels grown in a simulation of longline aquaculture. Together, these studies paint a cautiously positive outlook for the shellfish aquaculture industry in Oregon.
This thesis includes previously unpublished co-authored material.
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Keywords
Aquaculture, Biofouling, Invasive, Mussels, Oyster, Tunicate