Monday, March 14, 2005

Totally Tubular

A type of Australian tube worm (Ficopomatus enigmaticus) has invaded California's Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, according to this report from the Monterey County Herald. The worms are creating new reefs in the estuary, blocking pipes, and filtering nutrients out of the water. The habitat in the estuary is typically muddy, so the hard substrate created by the tubeworms is welcome new turf...for more non-native species.

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