A. Yu. Zvyagintsev

Introduction of Species into the Northwestern Sea of Japan and the Problem of Marine Fouling

This review analyzes the problem of the distribution of some species with vessels into different areas of the World Ocean. Some major concepts and terminology related to acclimation of hydrobionts are specified. It is shown that due to long-term observations, Peter the Great Bay is now one of the most studied areas in terms of introduced fouling organisms. New data are presented about the introduction of 16 species, which are now in different stages of acclimation, into Peter the Great Bay and the northwestern Sea of Japan.

Life History of the Barnacle Balanus Amphitrite Darwin and Its Role in Fouling Communities of Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan

The life history of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite Darwin and its role in fouling communities of Golden Horn Bay (Peter the Great Bay), which is subjected to thermal pollution, were studied. The warm-water B. amphitrite occurs as a common minor species on operational vessels and waterworks in Peter the Great Bay, where it was brought by ocean-going ships operating on Russia–Japan lines. Even in the conditions of the higher temperature regime of Golden Horn Bay, the reproductive season of B. amphitrite is confined to the summer and autumn months. The adult individuals brought by ships in summer produce 2–3 generations of larvae. The development of larvae and their settling on the substrate occurs from August to October within a broad temperature range from 22.5 up to 12°C. Even in the low temperatures of Golden Horn Bay the larvae attain a greater size than those in tropical and subtropical waters. The juveniles have time to reach maturity and to produce their own progeny, but most often they perish with winter drop in the water temperature. It was shown that in Peter the Great Bay there is dependent population of B. amphitrite inhabiting the anthropogenic substrates only in the warm season: water works, idle vessels, and operational offshore vessels. The water temperature is the limiting factor of successful acclimation of that species.

Acclimation and introduction of hydrobionts ships’ ballast water organisms in the Port of Vladivostok

Work on the investigation of organisms of ballast water and sediments of ships sailing on Russia-Japan and Russia-China lines was started in the Port of Vladivostok for the first time for the Far East seas of Russia. In total, 145 taxa, 37 microalgal species, 24 holoplankton species, 22 meroplankton taxa, and 10 meiofauna groups were revealed, 24 species of microscopic mycelia fungi were attributed, and 28 morphologically distinct bacterial stains were isolated. Potentially toxic microalgal species were found: the dinoflagellates Dinophysis acuminate and Prorocentrum cordatum and the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia pungens. The tropical-subtropical copepod Pseudocalanus inopinus was recorded in ballast water. Polychaete larvae of the Polydora genus with an unusual morphology, which were not occurring in the Peter the Great Bay previously, were recorded as probable southern migrants from the coastal waters of the southwest coast of Honshu Island. Live larvae of the hermit crab Diogenes nitidimanus were revealed in ballast water, supporting the possibility of introduction of this species in the Peter the Great Bay. Based on an analysis of the total number of colony-forming units of heterotroph microorganisms (within the order of 103–104 cells/ml), the ballast water of ships sailing on the Russia-Japan line was characterized as moderately polluted. The detection of Escherichia coli strains, exceeding the standards quoted in the International Convention by three times or more, showed the potential danger of a mass bioinvasion. Conditionally pathogenic and toxinogenic mycelial fungi, which are able to induce mycoses and mycotoxicoses in invertebrates and fishes, were isolated from ballast water. It was determined that ballast water of the “rusty” type was poorly suited for the existence of zoo- and phytoplankton forms. In the case of the construction of an oil terminal in the Peter the Great Bay, a sharp increase of the introduction of exotic species via the ballast water and foulings of tankers is inevitable

On the introduction of the ascidian Ciona savignyi Herdman, 1882 into Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan

The occurrence of the solitary ascidian Ciona savignyi Herdman, 1882 in Vostok Bay (Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan) was first documented in 2004. Adult specimens occurred in fouling communities of floating docks in Gaidamak Bay and on different anthropogenic substrates. The introduction of this ascidian into Vostok Bay is attributable to fishing ships which regularly frequent ports of Japan and to favorable environmental conditions (temperature and salinity of seawater).

Nonindigenous Species in the Far Eastern Seas of Russia

Purposeful studies of alien species were performed in the Sea of Japan (Russian territory) in recent decades; however, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea received less attention, and the studies there were occasional, so the data are scarce. An annotated list of 66 nonindigenous species of various degree of acclimatization is presented for the first time for the Far Eastern Seas of Russia. A scale for assessing alien species status is also presented.

Discovery of larvae of the hermit crab Diogenes nitidimanus Terao, 1913 (Decapoda: Diogenidae) in ship ballast waters: Evidence in support of its introduction into Peter the Great Bay

The larva of the hermit crab Diogenes nitidimanus Terao, 1913 was found in the ballast waters of the tanker Minotaur that arrived from the Chinese port of Laizhou (Bohai Bay, Yellow Sea). Earlier, an abundant population of mature adults of D. nitidimanus was found in Vostok Bay (Peter the Great Bay), this suggested the introduction and naturalization of this species in the Peter the Great Bay. The finding of its larva in ballast waters of a ship on the Russia-China route confirms the introduction of this species into Peter the Great Bay.

Seasonal Dynamics of Pelagic Larvae and Settling of the Fouling Organisms in Conditions of Thermal Pollution

Year-round comprehensive study of fouling of the cooling system of the Vladivostok Heat Power Plant (VTETs-2) was carried out. The seasonal dynamics of pelagic larvae, their settling, and succession of fouling communities on test plates were analyzed in the intake scoop (Ussuriiskii Bay) and in Zolotoi Rog Bay (Amurskii Bay), which are subjected to thermal pollution by dump waters of VTETs-2. It was shown that the barnacles Balanus crenatus, B. improvisus, and B. amphitrite; bivalves Mytilus trossulus and Crassostrea gigas; polychaetes Polydora limicola and Hydroides ezoensis; and ascidians Molgula manhattensis and Diplosoma mitsukurii were background species in the plate fouling. A high correlation between the seasonal dynamics of larval plankton and the settling of spat was recorded only in some species. The total larval density in Zolotoi Rog Bay, despite the critical level of its pollution, more than 4 times exceeded that of the relatively clean Ussuriiskii Bay. The number of recorded species on the test plates was 2 times higher in Ussuriiskii Bay than in Zolotoi Rog Bay; however, the biomass and population density of settled spat of the dominant forms was several times lower in Ussuriiskii Bay. Thanks to thermal pollution, Zolotoi Rog Bay is an intermediate step for the introduction and acclimation of tropical species, such as B. amphitrite and M. manhattensis, brought by long-distance vessels. Measures aimed at the prevention of intensive settling of mytilids in the cooling system of VTETs-2 are suggested.

Effect of Polluted Harbor Waters on Fouling and Biocorrosion of Steel

The effect of various types of pollution on micro-, meso-, and macrofouling succession and on the biocorrosion of high-alloy steel X18N10T (Russian steel grade) in the water of Zolotoi Rog Bay port was studied. Anthropogenic contamination of harbor waters has boosted the development of specific fouling communities presented by certain groups of micro-, meso-, and macrobenthos. The intensity of local destruction of the surface became much higher with mosaic colonization of specimens of high-alloy steel by barnacles than with their continuous distribution. The rate of steel corrosion was ten times higher in the impacted area than in the control area.

The Role of Small-Scale Turbulence in the Distribution of Macrofouling Organisms on the Hulls of Ocean-Going Ships

Evidences in favor of the hypothesis of Rudyakova [23] are given, which states that the main reason for the aggregative distribution of fouling organisms on the hulls of active long-voyage crafts (ocean-going ships) is the uneven course of hydrodynamical process around the submerged part of the hull, particularly the development of small-scale turbulence at sites of separation of the boundary layer (shear sites).

Fouling of hydrotechnical structures in western Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan

We studied the fouling of piers and quays in Amurskii and Pos’et bays, the Sea of Japan. The main fouling communities and groupings were identified. They were usually dominated by bivalves, the musselMytilus trossulus and the oysterCrassostrea gigas. The exotic speciesBalanus improvisus was found to naturalize in the fouling on the hydrotechnical structures of the Amurskii Bay. The qualitative composition of the fouling of the structures examined was compared using cluster analysis.