Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Large-scale invasion of Marenzelleria spp. (Polychaeta; Spionidae) in the eastern Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea

  • Published:
Russian Journal of Biological Invasions Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Polychaetes of the genus Marenzelleria are among the most successful introduced species in the Baltic Sea. Invading it for the first time in 1985, they rapidly colonized the entire sea, where they are currently represented by three closely related species. They have been recorded in the Russian waters of the Gulf of Finland since 1996. Until 2009, the introduction of polychaetes (identified as Marenzelleria neglecta) in the Gulf of Finland was not accompanied by any considerable changes in bottom communities. High biomass of M. neglecta was observed only in shallow-water areas of limited size above the summer thermocline. In 2009, polychaetes first occupied deep-water areas, which was related to the invasion of M. arctia, an arctic member of the genus, new to the eastern Gulf of Finland. Abundant reproduction of this species led to a multiple increase in the biomass of the macrozoobenthos. The role of polychaetes was especially considerable in areas of the bottom periodically affected by hypoxia, where macrozoobenthos was previously absent or extremely depleted. Because of the invasion, a large area of the gulf became occupied by almost single-species macrozoobenthos. M. arctia is characterized by considerable bioturbation and bioirrigation activity, and the introduction of this species has given the deep-water areas of the gulf a new functional group of benthos. The polychaete invasion, owing to its considerable impact on the biogeochemical processes and trophic relations in the eastern Gulf of Finland, will probably lead over the next few years to a cardinal reorganization at the scale of the entire ecosystem.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bastrop, R. and Blank, M., Multiple Invasions—a Polychaete Genus Enters the Baltic Sea, Biological Invasions, 2006, vol. 8, pp. 1195–1200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blank, M., Laine, A.O., Jürss, K.K., and Bastrop, R., Molecular Identification Key Based on PCR/RFLP for Three Polychaete Sibling Species of the Genus Marenzelleria, and the Species’ Current Distribution in the Baltic Sea, Helgol. Mar. Res., 2008, vol. 62, pp. 129–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conley, D.J., Björck, S., Bonsdorff, E., Carstensen, J., Destouni, G., Gustafsson, B.G., Hietanen, S., Kortekaas, M., Kuosa, H., Meier, H.E.M., Müller-Karulis, B., Nordberg, Kjell, Norkko, A., Nürnberg, G., Pitkänen, H., Rabalais, N.N., Rosenberg, R., Savchuk, O.P., Slomp, C.P., Voss, M., Wulff, F., and Zillén, L., Hypoxia-Related Processes in the Baltic Sea, Environmental Science and Technology, 2009, vol. 43, no. 10, pp. 3412–3420.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Crooks, J.A., Characterizing Ecosystem-Level Consequences of Biological Invasions: the Role of Ecosystem Engineers, Oikos, 2002, vol. 97, pp. 153–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ekosistema estuariya reki Nevy: biologicheskoe raznoobrazie i ekologicheskie problemy (The Ecosystem of the Estuary of the Neva River: Biological Diversity and Environmental Problems), Alimov, A.F. and Golubkov, S.M., Eds., Moscow: KMK Scientific Press, 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elmgren, R., Trophic Dynamics in the Enclosed, Brackish Baltic Sea, ICES Rapp. Proc. Verb., 1984, no. 183, pp. 152–169.

  • Eremina, T.R. and Karlin, L.N., The Current Features of the Hydrochemical Conditions in the Eastern Gulf of Finland, in Ekosistema estuariya reki Nevy: biologicheskoe raznoobrazie i ekologicheskie problemy (The Ecosystem of the Estuary of the Neva River: Biological Diversity and Environmental Problems), Moscow: KMK Scientific Press, 2008, pp. 24–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson Wiklund, A.-K., Sundelin, B., and Rosa, R., Population Decline of Amphipod Monoporeia affinis in Northern Europe: Consequence of Food Shortage and Competition?, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 2008, vol. 367, pp. 81–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson Wiklund, A.-K., Vilhelmsson S., Wiklund S.J., and Eklund B., Contaminants and Habitat Choice in the Baltic Sea: Behavioural Experiments with the Native Species, Monoporeia affinis, and the Invasive Genus, Marenzelleria, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 2009, vol. 81, pp. 238–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ezhova, E., Zmudzinski, L., and Maciejewska, K., Long-Term Trends in the Macrozoobenthos of the Vistula Lagoon, Southerstern Baltic Sea. Species Composition and Biomass Distribution, Bulletin of the Sea Fisheries Institute, 2005, vol. 1, no. 164, pp. 55–73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Golubkov, S.M., Maximov, A.A., Golubkov, M.S., and Litvinchuk, L.F., The Functional Shift in the Ecosystem of the Eastern Gulf of Finland Caused by Natural and Anthropogenic Factors, Doklady Akademii Nauk, 2010, vol. 432, no. 3, pp. 423–425.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hietanen, S., Laine, A.O., and Lukkari, K., The Complex Effects of the Invasive Polychaetes Marenzelleria spp. on Benthic Nutrients Dynamics, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 2007, vol. 352, pp. 89–102.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Järvekülg, A.A., Donnaya fauna vostochnoi chasti Baltiiskogo morya (The Bottom Fauna of the Eastern Baltic Sea), Tallinn: Valgus, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jewett, E.B., Hines, A.H., and Ruiz, G.M., Epifaunal Disturbance by Periodic Low Levels of Dissolved Oxygen: Native Vs. Invasive Species Response, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 2005, vol. 304, pp. 31–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karlson, K., Bonsdorff, E., and Rosenberg, R., The Impact of Benthic Macrofauna for Nutrient Fluxes from Baltic Sea Sediments, Ambio, 2007, vol. 36, nos. 2–3, pp. 161–167.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Karlson, K., Hulth, S., Ringdahl, K., and Rosenberg, R., Experimental Recolonisation of Baltic Sea Reduced Sediments: Survival of Benthic Macrofauna and Effects on Nutrient Cycling, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 2005, vol. 294, pp. 35–49.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kotta, J. and Kotta, I., Distribution and Invasion Ecology of Marenzelleria viridis in the Estonian Coastal Waters, Proc. Estonian Acad. Sci. Biol. Ecol., 1998, vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 212–220.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kotta, J. and Olafson, E., Competition for Food between the Introduced Polychaete Marenzelleria viridis (Verrill) and the Native Amphipod Monoporeia affinis Lindström in the Baltic Sea, Journal of Sea Research, 2003, vol. 50, pp. 27–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kotta, J., Kotta, I., Simm, M., Lankov, A., Lauringson, V., Põllumäe, A., and Ojaveer, H., Ecological Consequence of Biological Invasions: Three Invertebrate Case Studies in the North-Eastern Baltic Sea, Helgol. Mar. Res., 2006, vol. 60, pp. 106–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leppäkoski, E., Gollasch, S., Gruszka, P.., Ojaveer, H., Olenin, S., and Panov, V., The Baltic-a Sea of Invaders, Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 2002, vol. 59, pp. 1175–1188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leppäkoski, E., Olenin, S., and Gollasch, S., The Baltic Sea-a Field Laboratory for Invasion Biology, in Invasive Aquatic Species of Europe, Academic, 2002a, pp. 253–259.

  • Lyakhin, Yu.I., Makarova, S.V., Maximov, A.A., Savchuk, O.P., and Silina, N.I., The Environmental Situation in the Eastern Gulf of Finland in July 1996, in Problemy issledovaniya i matematicheskogo modelirovaniya ekosistemy Baltiiskogo morya. Vyp. 5: Ekosistemnye modeli. Otsenka sovremennogo sostoyaniya Finskogo zaliva. Ch.2: Gidrometeorologicheskie, gidrokhimicheskie, gidrobiologicheskie, geologicheskie usloviya i dinamika vod Finskogo zaliva (Problems of Study and Mathematical Simulation of the Baltic Sea Ecosystem. Issue 5: Ecosystem Models: Estimation of the Current State of the Gulf of Finland. Part 2: Hydrometeorological, Hydrochemical, Hydrobiological, and Geological Conditions and Dynamics of the Waters of the Gulf of Finland), St. Petersburg: Gidrometeoizdat, 1997, pp. 416–434.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maximov, A.A. and Panov, V.E., Distribution and Abundance of Alien Polychaete Marenzelleria viridis in the Eastern Gulf of Finland, in Baltic Sea Science Congress 2003: Abstract Publication, Helsinki, 2003, p. 192.

  • Maximov, A.A., Causes of the Bottom Hypoxia in the Eastern Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea, Okeanologiya, 2006, vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 204–210 [Oceanology (Engl. Transl.), vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 185–191].

    Google Scholar 

  • Maximov, A.A., Changes in Bottom Communities of the Eastern Gulf of Finland after Introduction of the Polychaete Marenzelleria neglecta (electronic publication), Rossiiskii Zhurnal Biologicheskikh Invazii, 2009, vol. 2, pp. 14–22 (http://www.sevin.ru/invasjour/issues/2009-2/Maximov-09-2.pdf).

    Google Scholar 

  • Maximov, A.A., Changes of Bottom Macrofauna in the Eastern Gulf of Finland in 1985–2002, Proc. Estonian Acad. Sci. Biol. Ecol., 2003, vol. 52, no. 4, pp. 378–393.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maximov, A.A., Influence of Climatic Factors on the Dynamics of Macrozoobenthos, in Ekosistema estuariya reki Nevy: biologicheskoe raznoobrazie i ekologicheskie problemy (The Ecosystem of the Estuary of the Neva River: Biological Diversity and Environmental Problems), Moscow: KMK Scientific Press, 2008, pp. 346–355.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maximov, A.A., The Effect of Dissolved Oxygen Concentration and Some Other Environmental Factors on Pontoporeia affinis Lindström, Gidrobiol. Zhurn., 1993, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 16–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maximov, A.A., The Macrozoobenthos of the Eastern Gulf of Finland, in Problemy issledovaniya i matematicheskogo modelirovaniya ekosistemy Baltiiskogo morya. Vyp.5: Ekosistemnye modeli. Otsenka sovremennogo sostoyaniya Finskogo zaliva. Ch.2: Gidrometeorologicheskie, gidrokhimicheskie, gidrobiologicheskie, geologicheskie usloviya i dinamika vod Finskogo zaliva (Problems of Study and Mathematical Simulation of the Baltic Sea Ecosystem. Issue 5: Ecosystem Models: Estimation of the Current State of the Gulf of Finland. Part 2: Hydrometeorological, Hydrochemical, Hydrobiological, and Geological Conditions and Dynamics of the Waters of the Gulf of Finland), St. Petersburg: Gidrometeoizdat, 1997, pp. 405–416.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mermillod-Blondin, F. and Rosenberg, R., Ecosystem Engineering: the Impact of Bioturbation on Biogeochemical Processes in Marine and Freshwater Benthic Habitats, Aquat. Sci., 2006, vol. 68, pp. 434–442.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Neideman, R., Wenngren, J., and Olafsson, E., Competition between the Introiduced Polychaete Marenzelleria Sp. and the Native Amphipod Monoporeia affinis in the Baltic Soft Bottoms, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 2003, vol. 264, pp. 49–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norkko, A., Bonsdorff, E., and Bostrom, C., Observation of the Polychaete Marenzelleria viridis (Verril) on a Shallow Sandy Bottom on the South Coast of Finland, Memoranda Soc. Fauna Flora Fennica, 1993, vol. 69, pp. 112–113.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olenin, S., Invasive Aquatic Species in the Baltic States, Klaipéda: Klaipédos universiteto leidykloje, 2005.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orlova, M.I., Telesh, I.V., Berezina, N.A., Antsulevich, A.E., Maximov, A.A., and Litvinchuk, L.F., Effects of Nonindigenous Species on Diversity and Community Functioning in the Eastern Gulf of Finland (Baltic Sea), Helgol. Mar. Res., 2006, vol. 60, pp. 98–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paavola, M., Olenin, S., and Leppäkoski, E., Are Invasive Species Most Successful in Habitats of Low Native Species Richness across European Brackish Water Seas?, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 2005, vol. 64, pp. 738–750.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Panov, V.E., Bychenkov, D.E., Berezina, N.A., and Maximov, A.A., Alien Species Introductions in the Eastern Gulf of Finland: Current State and Possible Management Options, Proc. Estonian Acad. Sci. Biol. Ecol., 2003, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 254–267.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pirozhnikov, P.L., Contribution to the History of Studies on the Bottom Fauna of Large Rivers, Water Reservoirs, and Estuary Areas, in Issledovaniya presnovodnykh i morskikh bespozvonochnykh zhivotnykh (Studies of Freshwater and Marine Invertebrate Animals), Leningrad: Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 1986, pp. 5–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pirozhnikov, P.L., Mouths of Large Rivers and Marine Areas Adjacent to Them As Specific Ecosystems, Sbornik Nauchnykh Trudov GosNIORKh, 1984, no. 223, pp. 112–122.

  • Pitkänen, H., Lehtoranta, J., and Räike, A., Internal Nutrient Fluxes Counteract Decreases in External Load: The Case of the Estuarial Eastern Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea, Ambio, 2001, vol. 30, nos. 4–5, pp. 195–201.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rudinskaya, L.V., The Dynamics of the Biomass and Abundance of Marenzelleria viridis and Its Influence on the Structure of the Benthos Community of the Vistula Lagoon, in Vidy-vselentsy v evropeiskikh moryakh Rossii (Introduced Species in the European Seas of Russia), Apatity: Kola Scientific Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, 2000, pp. 193–202.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schiedek, D., Marenzelleria cf. viridis (Polychaeta: Spionidae)-Ecophysiological Adaptations to a Life in the Coastal Waters of the Baltic Sea, Aquatic Ecology, 1997, vol. 31, pp. 199–210.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schiedek, D., Ecophysiological Capability of Marenzelleria Populations Inhabiting North Sea Estuaries: An Overview, Helgolander Meeresunters, 1999, vol. 52, pp. 373–382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Segerstråle, S.G., The Distribution of Some Malacostracan Crustaceans in the Baltic Sea in Relation To the Temperature Factor, Merentutkimuslait. Julk./Havsforskningsinst. Skr., 1972, no. 237, pp. 13–26.

  • Shishkin, B.A., Nikulina, V.N., Maximov, A.A., and Silina, N.I., Osnovnye kharakteristiki bioty vershiny Finskogo zaliva i ee rol’ v formirovanii kachestva vody (Principal Features of the Upper Gulf of Finland Biota and Its Role in the Formation of Water Quality), Leningrad: Gidrometeoizdat, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sikorski, A. and Bick, A., Revision of Marenzelleria Mesnil, 1896 (Spionidae, Polychaeta), Sarsia, 2004, vol. 89, pp. 253–275.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sikorskii, A.V. and Buzhinskaya, G.N., The Genus Marenzelleria (Polychaeta, Spionidae) in the Seas of Russia, Zoologicheskii Zhurnal, 1998, vol. 77, no. 10, pp. 1111–1120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stigzelius, J., Laine, A., Rissanen, J., Andersin, A.-B., and Ilus, E., The Introduction of Marenzelleria viridis (Polychaeta, Spionidae) in the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Bothnia (the Northern Baltic Sea), Ann. Zool. Fennici, 1997, vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 205–212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sushchenya, L.M., Semenchenko, V.P., and Vezhnovets, V.V., Biologiya i produktsiya lednikovykh reliktovykh rakoobraznykh (Biology and Production of the Crustacean Glacial Relicts), Minsk: Nauka i Tekhnika, 1986.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallentinus, I. and Nyberg, C.D., Introduced Marine Organisms As Habitat Modifiers, Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2007, vol. 55, pp. 323–332.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Winkler, H.M. and Debus, L., Is the Polychaete Marenzelleria viridis an Important Food Item for Fish?, in Proceedings of the 13th Symposium of Baltic Marine Biologists, 1996, pp. 147–151.

  • Zettler, M.L., Daunys, D., Kotta, J., and Bick, A., History and Success of Invasion into the Baltic Sea: the Polychaete Marenzelleria cf. viridis, Development and Strategies, in Invasive Aquatic Species of Europe, Academic, 2002, pp. 66–75.

  • Zmudzinski, L., Chubarova-Solovjeva, S., Dobrovolski, Z., Gruszka, P., Olenin, S., and Wolnomiejski, N., Expansion of the Spionid Polychaete Marenzelleria viridis in the Southern Part of the Baltic Sea, in Proceedings of the 13th Symposium of Baltic Marine Biologists, 1996, pp. 127–129.

  • Zmudzinski, L., The Effect of the Introduction of the American Species Marenzelleria viridis (Polychaeta, Spionidae) on the Benthic Ecosystem of Vistula Lagoon, Marine Ecology, 1996, vol. 17, nos. 1–3, pp. 221–226.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya nab. 1, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia

    A. A. Maximov

Authors
  1. A. A. Maximov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. A. Maximov.

Additional information

Original Russian Text © A.A. Maximov, 2010, published in Rossiiskii Zhurnal Biologicheskikh Invasii, 2010, No. 4, pp. 19–31.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Maximov, A.A. Large-scale invasion of Marenzelleria spp. (Polychaeta; Spionidae) in the eastern Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea. Russ J Biol Invasions 2, 11–19 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1134/S2075111711010036

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S2075111711010036

Keywords

Search

Navigation