Watersipora n. sp.

Invasion History

First Non-native North American Tidal Record: 2001
First Non-native West Coast Tidal Record: 2001
First Non-native East/Gulf Coast Tidal Record:

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General Invasion History:

Watersipora n. sp. is a new, undescribed species which was identified from California harbors using molecular methods (. Its origin and worldwide range are unknown, but its spotty distribution on the California coast (Oceanside Harbor, San Diego County, to Humboldt Bay) suggestive of being introduced. Aside from the California records, it has been collected from Puget Sound and one location in South Korea. It is an encrusting calcified bryozoan known from rocks, pilings, floats and fouling plates

North American Invasion History:

Invasion History on the West Coast:

A new species of Watersipora (here called n. sp.) was identified by Mackie et al. (2006) from specimens collected in 1997-2001 in Santa Cruz Harbor, California, by molecular methods (mitochondrial COI sequences = cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 DNA). Its origin and worldwide distribution are unknown, but its spotty distribution on the California coast is suggestive of being introduced (Geller et al. 2008). Using specimens coming primarily from the Moss Landing Marine Laboratory Surveys (2000-2001) conducted in California harbors, Watersipora n. sp. was found from Port Hueneme and Channel Island Harbors near Oxnard, north to Humboldt Bay (Geller et al. 2008; Mackie et al. 2012). The harbors and estuaries with this bryozoan included Morro Bay, Monterey Bay, Moss Landing Harbor, San Francisco Bay (Richmond Marina), Bodega Harbor and Humboldt Bay. Watersipora n. sp. was the only Watersipora identified in Morro Bay, Bodega Harbor, and Humboldt Bay, and was found at intermediate frequencies in Moss Landing and San Francisco and at low abundance in Santa Barbara and Marina Del Rey (Geller et al. 2008; Mackie et al. 2012).  It was also found in Puget Sound in 2010 (Mackie et al. 2012)

Invasion History Elsewhere in the World:

In a worldwide survey of the genus, Watersipora n. sp. was found in only one location outside California, in Namhae Sangju, on Namhaedo Island, on the south coast of South Korea (Mackie et al. 2012). It is unclear whether this species is native or introduced there.

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Description

A new species of Watersipora (here called n. sp.) was identified by molecular means by Mackie et al. (2006). It is genetically distinct from four other species of Watersipora. Watersipora n. sp. has (on average) slightly longer zooid length compared to W. subtorquata and W. subovoidea, but cannot be reliably separated from W. subtorquata by morphological characters (Geller et al. 2008; Laruson, et al. 2012; Mackie et al. 2012; Gauff et al. 2023).

NOTE: A recent revision of the taxonomy of the genus Watersipora presented a drastic change in the nomenclature and worldwide biogeography of the genus. According to Vieira et al. (2015), W. subtorquata is absent from the West Coast of North America. On their map, the 3 species on the West Coast are W. subatra, W. atrofusca, and W. arcuata. Watersipora subatra occurs in the Western Pacific from Japan to New Zealand, while W. subatra was identified only from California and Pacific Mexico. Watersipora subtorquata is widely distributed in the tropical subtropical Atlantic and Mediterranean, Red Sea, and Indo-West Pacific. Another previously identified species W. subovoidea has been abolished and partially synonymized with an earlier name, until recently regarded as obsolete, W. cucullata (Vieira et al. 2015). This worldwide revision of the genus is at odds with current molecular studies (Mackie et al. 2006; Mackie et al. 2012). Vieira et al.'s (2015) map includes only a small number of West Coast samples. A larger regional sample will be required to reconcile morphological and molecular taxonomy of Watersipora on the West Coast of North America. A  map based on molecular identification found 4 species of Watersipora in southern California, including W. n. sp., W. arcuata, W. subatra, W. subtorquata, and W. atrofusca (native?) (Gauff et al. 2023).

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Taxonomy

Ecology

General:

Life History- Watersipora n. sp. is an encrusting calcified bryozoan, a colony composed of many individual zooids. The zooids feed by extending the ciliated tentacles of the lophophore as a funnel, creating a current, and driving food particles into their mouths. The food is guided along the tentacles and through the pharynx by the cilia. Larger food particles can be moved or captured by flicking or contracting the tentacles (Barnes 1983). Larvae of Watersipora spp. are lecithotrophic, and have a short planktonic period (less than 1 day, Mackie et al. 2006). Larvae settle on a substrate and metamorphose into the first zooid of a colony, an ancestrula (Barnes 1983).

Ecology- Watersipora n. sp. is known from pilings, rocks, floats and fouling plates (Mackie et al. 2006; Geller et al. 2008).

Food:

Phytoplankton, detritus

Trophic Status:

Suspension Feeder

SusFed

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Habitats

General Habitat	Coarse Woody Debris	None
General Habitat	Marinas & Docks	None
General Habitat	Rocky	None
Salinity Range	Polyhaline	18-30 PSU
Salinity Range	Euhaline	30-40 PSU
Tidal Range	Subtidal	None
Vertical Habitat	Epibenthic	None

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Life History

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Tolerances and Life History Parameters

Broad Temperature Range	None	Cold temperate-Warm temperate
Broad Salinity Range	None	Polyhaline-Euhaline

General Impacts

Ecological Impacts

Competition - Watersipora n. sp. is a newly identified and still undescribed species, so knowledge of its ecology and impacts is limited. However, it was found to monopolize sites in Morro Bay, Bodega Bay, and Humboldt Bay, California (Geller et al. 2008; Wilson 2011).

Habitat Change- After spreading over surfaces, Watersipora n. sp. colonies in Humboldt Bay, California grew upwards and formed a three-dimensional structure which was utilized by a variety of organisms, increasing diversity on experimental plates (Wilson 2011).

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Regional Impacts

NEP-V	Northern California to Mid Channel Islands		Ecological Impact	Competition
Watersipora n. sp. is a newly identified, and still undescribed species, so knowledge of its ecology and impacts is limited. However, it was found to monopolize sites in Morro and Bodega Bays (Geller et al. 2008; Mackie et al. 2012).
P070	Morro Bay		Ecological Impact	Competition
Watersipora n. sp. is a newly identified, and still undescribed species, so knowledge of its ecology and impacts is limited. However, it was found to monopolize sites in Morro Bay (Geller et al. 2008).
P112	_CDA_P112 (Bodega Bay)		Ecological Impact	Competition
Watersipora n. sp. is a newly identified, and still undescribed species, so knowledge of its ecology and impacts is limited. However, it was found to monopolize sites in Bodega Bay (Geller et al. 2008).
NEP-IV	Puget Sound to Northern California		Ecological Impact	Competition
Watersipora n. sp. is a newly identified, and still undescribed species, so knowledge of its ecology and impacts is limited. However, it was found to monopolize sites in Humboldt Bay (Geller et al. 2008). Wilson (2001) found that it initially out-competed other species on fouling plates, coming to dominate the surface of the plates.
P130	Humboldt Bay		Ecological Impact	Competition
Watersipora n. sp. is a newly identified, and still undescribed, species, so knowledge of its ecology and impacts is limited. However, it was found to monopolize sites in Humboldt Bay (Geller et al. 2008). Wilson (2001) found that it initially out-competed other species on fouling plates, coming to dominate the surface of the plates.
NEP-V	Northern California to Mid Channel Islands		Ecological Impact	Habitat Change
Watersipora sp.(either subtorquata or n. sp.; Geller et al. 2008) had more than 10% cover on fouling plates. Native diversity was correlated with exotic diversity, as both groups of organisms occupied the three-dimensional structure created by colonies (Sellheim et al. 2010).
P112	_CDA_P112 (Bodega Bay)		Ecological Impact	Habitat Change
Watersipora sp.(either subtorquata or n. sp.; Geller et al. 2008) had more than 10% cover on fouling plates. Native diversity was correlated with exotic diversity, as both groups of organisms occupied the three-dimensional structure created by colonies (Sellheim et al. 2010).
NEP-IV	Puget Sound to Northern California		Ecological Impact	Habitat Change
As Watersipora n. sp. colonies in Humboldt Bay came to dominate the two-dimensional surface of fouling plates, they grew upwards, forming a three-dimensional structure which was utilized by a variety of organisms, increasing the diversity on plates (Wilson 2011).
P130	Humboldt Bay		Ecological Impact	Habitat Change
As colonies came to dominate the two-dimensional surface of the fouling plates, they grew upwards, forming a three-dimensional structure which was utilized by a variety of organisms, increasing the diversity or species on the plates (Wilson 2011).
CA	California		Ecological Impact	Competition
Watersipora n. sp. is a newly identified, and still undescribed species, so knowledge of its ecology and impacts is limited. However, it was found to monopolize sites in Bodega Bay (Geller et al. 2008)., Watersipora n. sp. is a newly identified, and still undescribed, species, so knowledge of its ecology and impacts is limited. However, it was found to monopolize sites in Humboldt Bay (Geller et al. 2008). Wilson (2001) found that it initially out-competed other species on fouling plates, coming to dominate the surface of the plates., Watersipora n. sp. is a newly identified, and still undescribed species, so knowledge of its ecology and impacts is limited. However, it was found to monopolize sites in Morro Bay (Geller et al. 2008)., Watersipora n. sp. is a newly identified, and still undescribed species, so knowledge of its ecology and impacts is limited. However, it was found to monopolize sites in Morro and Bodega Bays (Geller et al. 2008; Mackie et al. 2012).
CA	California		Ecological Impact	Habitat Change
Watersipora sp.(either subtorquata or n. sp.; Geller et al. 2008) had more than 10% cover on fouling plates. Native diversity was correlated with exotic diversity, as both groups of organisms occupied the three-dimensional structure created by colonies (Sellheim et al. 2010)., As colonies came to dominate the two-dimensional surface of the fouling plates, they grew upwards, forming a three-dimensional structure which was utilized by a variety of organisms, increasing the diversity or species on the plates (Wilson 2011)., Watersipora sp.(either subtorquata or n. sp.; Geller et al. 2008) had more than 10% cover on fouling plates. Native diversity was correlated with exotic diversity, as both groups of organisms occupied the three-dimensional structure created by colonies (Sellheim et al. 2010).

References

Barnes, Robert D. (1983) Invertebrate Zoology, Saunders, Philadelphia. Pp. 883

Boyle, Michael; Janiak, Dean; Craig, Sean (2006) Succession in a Humboldt Bay fouling community: The Role of Exotic Species, Larval Humboldt Bay Marine Fouling Settlement and Winter Storms, In: (Eds.) Peoceedings of the 2004 Humboldt Bay Symposium. , San Diego. Pp. 215-234

Duncan, Meredyth; Chow, Benson; Myron, Kevin; Stone, Jaden; Hubbell, Mark; Schriock, Elizabeth; Hunt, Carol; Khtikian, W. Kent ; Cohen, C. Sarah (2022) First report of genetic data from two invasive Watersipora (Bryozoa) species in the central California coast rocky intertidal, Aquatic Invasions 17: Published online

Gauff, Robin P. M.; Bouchoucha, Marc; Curd, Amelia; Droual, Gabin; Evrard, Justine; Gayet, Nicolas; Nunes. Flavia (2023) First joint morphological and molecular detection of Watersipora subatra in the Mediterranean Sea presented in an updated genus phylogeny to resolve taxonomic confusion, Aquatic Invasions 18(3): 295-312

Geller, Jonathan; Mackie, Joshua; Schroeder, Gregory; Gerhinger; Daphne (2008) <missing title>, Submitted to California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento. Pp. <missing location>

Laruson, Aki J.; Craig, Sean F.; Messer, Kirk J.; Mackie, Joshua A. (2012) Rapid and reliable inference of mitochondrial phylogroups among Watersipora species, an invasive group of ship-fouling species (Bryozoa, Cheilostomata), Conservation Genetic Resources 4: 617-619

Mackie, Joshua A.; Darling, John A.; Geller, Jonathan B. (2012) Ecology of cryptic invasions: latitudinal segregation among Watersipora (Bryozoa) species, Scientific Reports 2(871): 1-10

Mackie, Joshua A.; Keough, Michael J.; Christidis, Les (2006) Invasion patterns inferred from cytochrome oxidase I sequences in three bryozoans, Bugula neritina, Watersipora subtorquata; and Watersipora arcuata., Marine Biology 149: 285-295

Mackie, Joshua A.; Wostenberg, Darren; Doan, Michael; Craig, Sean F. ; Darling, John A. (2014) High-throughput Illumina sequencing and microsatellite design in Watersipora (Bryozoa), a complex of invasive species, Conservation Genetic Resources 6: 1053-1055

Sellheim, Kirsten; Stachowicz, John J.; Coates, R. Cameron (2010) Effects of a nonnative habitat-forming species on mobile and sessile epifaunal communities, Marine Ecology Progress Series 398: 69-80

Wilson, Emily Erin (2011) <missing title>, Humboldt State University, Eureka CA. Pp. <missing location>

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