Biodiversidad exótica: presencia de especies marinas no-nativas introducidas por el tráfico marítimo en puertos colombianos

Colombia's favorable geographic location between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean combined with the high shipping activity of its ports (nearly 30000 arrivals per year) make it susceptible to the introduction of non-native marine species. In light of this potential threat, biological port surveys were conducted in three major port areas of the Colombian Caribbean Sea (Cartagena, Santa Marta and CoveA±as) as well as three adjacent reference areas (Bay of Barbacoas, near BarAo, Ensenada de Gaira near Rodadero and CiA©naga de CispatAi) in March and October of 2010, with the objective to detect the presence of non-native marine species, potentially introduced by shipping. In each port, surface phytoplankton and zooplankton was collected using horizontal net tows. In CoveA±as, plankton from ballast water of two oil tankers was analyzed as well. Benthic fouling communities were collected by scraping hard substrates between 0 to 3 m water depth. To date, 39 new species have been identified with no prior recorded presence in the Colombian Caribbean. These include 34 phytoplankton species (two of which were observed exclusively in ballast water), three species of copepods and two species of benthic macroinvertebrates. The number of non-native taxa was greater for the three port areas than for the corresponding reference zones, with Santa Marta having the greatest number (17).