Scientists have recently detected DNA from an invasive marine species in the Canadian Arctic, providing evidence that the area's rapidly warming waters are making them less effective as a natural barrier against ecological threats, according to a new study.
The research, published in the journal Global Change Biology earlier this week by scientists at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), marks the first identification of a non-native barnacle species in Canadian Arctic waters.
Climate change is warming the Arctic Ocean nearly four times faster than the global average. Waters that were once cool and deterred invasive organisms are now losing their role as thermal buffers.
The discovery was made using environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding, a technique that allows the detection of multiple species from a single water sample.
As marine organisms traverse the ocean, they shed genetic material through skin cells, feces, and other biological traces. By analyzing traces collected along the route of an Arctic cruise ship, the scientists identified the non-native bay barnacle (Amphibalanus improvisus).
This species, already common in European waters and the Pacific Ocean, is known to cause biological pollution on ships, pipelines, and coastal infrastructure, as well as disrupting native ecosystems.
Marine invasive species are often carried in ship ballast water or attached to the hulls of ships. Shipping traffic in the Canadian Arctic has also increased by more than 250 percent since 1990, raising concerns about future ecological impacts.
"Climate change is really at the heart of this issue," said Elizabeth Boyse, lead author of the study and an ecologist at BAS.
"The number of ships is increasing because of the reduction in sea ice, which in turn makes way for new shipping routes. Furthermore, invasive species carried by ships sailing to the Arctic are now more likely to survive and establish populations because of warmer water temperatures," Boyse said, according to Xinhua.
