Invasion
Invasion Description
1st Record: Gulf Islands/British Columbia/Straits of Georgia (1942, Quayle 1969, a widespread spawning in the Geoogia Straits)
Geographic Extent
San Juan Islands/WA/Juan de Fuca Straits (Padilla 2010)
Vectors
Level | Vector |
---|---|
Probable | Oyster Intentional |
Regional Impacts
Ecological Impact | Habitat Change | |
On San Juan Island, Washington, intertidal M. gigas altered rocky shore communities by providing a light-colored substrate, decreasing substrate temperatures from a maximum of 56°C to 41°C. On average, oysters were 3.3°C cooler than surrounding rocks, and supported higher densities of limpets (4 species, Lottia strigatella, L. pelta, L. scutum, and L. digitalis). The most abundant limpet, L. strigatella was 3X more abundant on oysters than on surrounding rocks (Padilla 2010). | ||