Invasion
Invasion Description
1st Record: MA/Vineyard Sound (1872, Verrill and Smith 1873, as M. minax'sometimes occurs in great abundance on eelgrass in brackish ponds
Geographic Extent
MA/Vineyard Sound (1872, Verrill and Smith 1873, as M. minax'sometimes occurs in great abundance on eelgrass in brackish ponds); MA/Vineyard Sound (1955, 41.5 , -70.7, USNM 028581 , US National Museum of Natural History 2008); Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard/MA/Katama Bay (Sumner et al. 1910); Woods Hole/MA/Eel Pond (Sumner et al. 1910); Elizabeth Islands/MA/Robinsons Hole (Sumner et al. 1910);
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Probable | Hull Fouling |
Regional Impacts
| Ecological Impact | Herbivory | |
| Microdeutopus gryllotalpa is the most abundant grazer of macroalgae in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts, making up on average over 50% of the grazer community. In experiments, it was capable of grazing at 5X the growth rate of algae in low-nutrient conditions, but at only 1/10 of the growth rate under high nutrient conditions (Hauxwell et al. 1998). | ||