Range expansion of the non-native oyster Crassostrea gigas in the Adriatic Sea

• Main Authors: ŠEGVIĆ-BUBIĆ, Tanja, GRUBIŠIĆ, Leon, ZRNČIĆ, Snježana, JOZIĆ, Slaven, ŽUŽUL, Iva, TALIJANČIĆ, Igor, ORAIĆ, Dražen, RELIĆ, Marko, KATAVIĆ, Ivan
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries 2016
• Subjects: Pacific oyster; invasion,;Adriatic Sea; ecological impact; European flat oyster; Japanska ili pacifička kamenica; invazija; Jadransko more; ekološki utjecaj; Europska plosnata kamenica; Pacific; Crassostrea gigas
• Online Access: https://hrcak.srce.hr/171662; https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/253291

The Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, was introduced into the Europe in the late 1960s for aquaculture purposes and has since spread extensively in Mediterranean waters. For the first time, screening of the four ecologically most suitable bays along the Eastern Adriatic coast was conducted to detect the possible presence of non-native oysters. Sequencing analysis of a fragment of mitochondrial 16S rRNA was examined to demonstrate the presence of the exotic species C. gigas in the natural environments of the northern and central coastal areas of the eastern Adriatic. The likely routes of invasion are discussed and the importance of monitoring the distribution of feral C. gigas populations emphasized, with a focus on the potential direct and indirect effects on the native European flat oyster, Ostrea edulis. Japanska ili pacifička kamenica, Crassostrea gigas, uvedena je u Europu kasnih 1960-ih za potrebe akvakulture i od tada se intenzivno proširila po Mediteranu. Po prvi put je izvršen pregled četiriju ekološki najprikladnijih zaljeva istočne obale Jadrana kako bi se utvrdila prisutnost alohtone kamenice. Analiza djelomičnog fragmenta mitohondrijske 16S rRNA je korištena kako bi se molekularno identificirala egzotična vrsta C. gigas u prirodnim staništima sjevernih i središnjih obalnih područja istočnog Jadrana. Mogući invazijski putevi su raspravljani kao i važnost praćenja distribucije populacija C. gigas, s naglaskom na potencijalne izravne i neizravne učinke na autohtonu europsku plosnatu kamenicu Ostrea edulis koja obitava u Jadranskom moru.