Christina Simkanin

Smithsonian Institution

Data that can be used to monitor biodiversity through time are essential for conservation and management. The reef-forming worm, Sabellaria alveolata (L. 1767) is currently classed as ‘Data deficient’ due to an imbalance in the spread of data on its distribution. Little is known about the distribution of this species around Ireland. Using data arch...

Aim: To investigate some of the environmental variables underpinning the past and present distribution of an ecosystem engineer near its poleward range edge. Location: >500 locations spanning >7,400 km around Ireland. Results: Through plotting 981 records of presence and absence, we revealed a discontinuous distribution with discretely bounded sub...

Aim On 11 March 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake triggered a massive tsunami that resulted in the largest known rafting event in recorded history. By spring 2012, marine debris began washing ashore along the Pacific coast of the United States and Canada with a wide range of Asian coastal species attached. We used this unique dataset, where the...

Human‐caused shifts in carbon (C) cycling and biotic exchange are defining characteristics of the Anthropocene. In marine systems, saltmarsh, seagrass, and mangrove habitats—collectively known as “blue carbon” and coastal vegetated habitats (CVHs)—are a leading sequester of global C and increasingly impacted by exotic species invasions. There is gr...

The rocky intertidal communities of Ireland contain a mix of cold- and warm-adapted species, however the spatial distribution of these communities has not been investigated in a systematic way. Based on a benthic community dataset collected in 2003 at 63 sites, several statistical analyses were combined with the aims of (i) detecting groups of simi...

Global patterns show that estuaries are more invaded than open coasts and artificial habitats are more invaded than natural ones. The contention that artificial habitats in estuaries are more invasible than other habitats may result from variation in propagule supply, however, as artificial habitats are closely linked to vectors of non-native propa...

Species introductions have increased dramatically in number, rate, and magnitude of impact in recent decades. In marine systems, invertebrates are the largest and most diverse component of coastal invasions throughout the world. Ascidians are conspicuous and well-studied members of this group, however, much of what is known about their invasion his...

Extreme or seasonal climatic events can lead to abrupt changes in environmental conditions. These events can produce a range of organismal responses that may help to protect local-scale populations against changes in climate. Empirical studies examining intraspecific variation in reproductive and physiological responses to varying durations of envi...

Anthropogenic marine habitats, such as marinas and breakwaters, are frequently colonized by nonindigenous species (NIS). Comparative studies show that few sessile NIS are found in nearby natural habitats, but little is known about the processes affecting the spread of NIS into these habitats. In southern British Columbia, the invasive colonial asci...

Anthropogenic habitats such as marinas and docks are focal points for marine invasions, but relatively little is known about the infiltration of nearby natural habitats by these invaders. To address infiltration by four geographically widespread ascidian invaders, we used a two-step approach: (i) a field survey with equitable sampling in adjacent a...

This study examined how the species composition of an intertidal barnacle guild varied according to physical gradients in the environment at small scales governed by microclimates, medium scales of wave exposure and large scales of latitude. Barnacle distributions at small and medium scales were sampled in Ireland between 51°29′ and 52°44′N and 6°5...

A milestone in understanding a globally significant mechanism of marine bioinvasions was published 25 years ago. The transformative paper on ballast water provided a baseline of patterns, processes and predictions of marine introductions, underpinned a dramatic increase in research on the topic, and presented a foundational insight for an internati...

Ballast water is a dominant mechanism for the interoceanic and transoceanic dispersal of aquatic non-native species (ANS), but few studies have addressed ANS transfers via smaller scale vessel movements. We analyzed ballast water reporting records and ANS occurrence data from four US West Coast port systems to examine patterns of intra-coastal ball...

The rate of coastal marine invasions has increased dramatically in recent time; however, it appears that not all habitats are equally important as sites of colonization. An analysis of the 327 non-native marine and estuarine species reported as established in North America shows that 71% occur on hard substrate, either solely or in combination with...

O. Hoegh-Guldberg et al. (“Assisted colonization and rapid climate change,” Policy Forum, 18 July, p. [345][1]) outlined a decision-tree framework for conservationists to use when considering the fate of species endangered by climate change. Although the likelihood of species extinction may

An historical data set, collected in 1958 by Southward and Crisp, was used as a baseline for detecting change in the abundances of species in the rocky intertidal of Ireland. In 2003, the abundances of each of 27 species was assessed using the same methodologies (ACFOR [which stands for the categories: abundant, common, frequent, occasional and rar...