The role of copper in facilitating the invasion of sessile marine invertebrate communities by pests: effects of copper pulse frequency in established assemblages

Disturbance events are thought to provide an opportunity for the colonisation and establishment of invasive species. Contamination of coastal waters with copper from sewage outfall and antifouling paints may create a disturbance that favours the establishment of introduced sessile invertebrates. This study examines if the frequency of experimentally applied doses of copper sulfate increases the abundance of introduced sessile invertebrate species within developing (2-weeks old) and established (9-months old) assemblages. Responses to regular and irregularly applied doses of copper were also tested in developing assemblages.

This dataset gives the effects of copper pulse frequency on the number of native and introduced taxa within established (9 month-old) sessile invertebrate assemblages. Experimental manipulations were carried out in Port Phillip Bay at Workshops Jetty, Williamstown, Victoria over a 10 week period between October and December 2004. Nine-month old sessile invertebrate assemblages established on Perspex plates were subjected to three treatments: an undosed control, or copper pulses applied every 2 or 4 weeks.