Thread by @SERCinvasions

#InvasionsLabPub Alert! @SmithsonianEnv scientists Brenda Soler-Figueroa led a paper on the characteristics of global port phytoplankton and their implications for current #BallastWater regulations @sciencedirect #Thread
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1/4-Thirty-one major ports in the Northern Hemisphere over a wide range of latitudes and salinities were selected to evaluate: a) how natural communities compare to challenge requirements and b) the abundance of unregulated size fractions. #BallastWater #PlanktonSampling #Thread

2/4-Phytoplankton <10 μm comprised over 80% of total abundance and yet are unregulated. Some of the organisms in this size class pose serious threats to ecosystem, fisheries and human health. #BallastWater #PlanktonSampling #Thread

3/4-Phytoplankton ≥50 μm reached densities of 107 cells m−3. As many of these species are non-motile, they are ignored by current regulation protocols. #BallastWater #PlanktonSampling #Thread

4/4-This study demonstrates that current regulations do not consider natural phytoplankton populations, limiting control efforts for potentially harmful #InvasiveSpecies Amendments would be useful to further limit spread via #BallastWater transport. #Thread