The invasive, non-native slipper limpet Crepidula fornicata is poorly adapted to sediment burial

Abstract

The American slipper limpet Crepidula fornicata is an invasive, non-native species (INNS) abundant along the European coast. Its further distribution may be facilitated by activities such as dredging and spoil disposal, and the aim of this study was to assess whether C. fornicata is able to survive sediment burial. The slipper limpet was found attached to hard substratum in intertidal areas, but it was absent at a nearby subtidal dredge spoil site. In laboratory experiments 22% of C. fornicata emerged when buried under a 2 cm sediment-layer; only half of them survived. When buried under ≥6 cm none re-surfaced or survived. The results provided evidence that C. fornicata is poorly adapted to adjust its vertical position in sediment and is killed by sudden burial underneath 2 to 6 cm of sediment. The combined laboratory experiments and field surveys suggested that C. fornicata has limited scope to survive the dredge spoil disposal process.

Keywords: Coastal infrastructure; Crepidula fornicata; Dredge spoil disposal; Invasive non-native species; Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay.