Significant ecosystem-wide effects of the swiftly spreading invasive freshwater bivalve Limnoperna fortunei

DEMETRIO BOLTOVSKOY, ALEXANDER KARATAYEV, LYUBOV BURLAKOVA, DANIEL CATALDO, VADIM KARATAYEV, FRANCISCO SYLVESTER AND ALEJANDRO MARIÑELARENA

HYDROBIOLOGIA

Springer

Lugar: Holanda; Año: 2009 vol. 636 p. 271 - 284

0018-8158

investigation of its ecosystem-wide effectswas hindered by (1) difficulties associated with evaluation of its densities over large spatial scales and (2) scarcity of preinvasion environmental data. The present survey overcomes these shortcomings and addresses the question whether Limnoperna’s impact on the ecosystem-wide scale ismeasurable and significant.On the basis of divercollected bottom samples, we estimated the overall density of this mussel in a reservoir (Embalse de Rý´o Tercero, Argentina), where Limnoperna is present since 1998 and analyzed changes in several water-column properties before and after the invasion. The 47 km2Limnoperna’s impact on the ecosystem-wide scale ismeasurable and significant.On the basis of divercollected bottom samples, we estimated the overall density of this mussel in a reservoir (Embalse de Rý´o Tercero, Argentina), where Limnoperna is present since 1998 and analyzed changes in several water-column properties before and after the invasion. The 47 km2Limnoperna is present since 1998 and analyzed changes in several water-column properties before and after the invasion. The 47 km22 reservoir hosts around 45 billion mussels; at these densities, a volume equivalent to that of this water body can potentially be filtered by the bivalves every 2– 3 days. Data collected regularly since 1996 indicate that after the invasion water transparency increased, and suspended matter, chlorophyll a, and primary production decreased significantly, with strong changes occurring in the areawith highestmussel densities.Our results indicate that the ecosystem-wide impacts of Limnopernaa, and primary production decreased significantly, with strong changes occurring in the areawith highestmussel densities.Our results indicate that the ecosystem-wide impacts of LimnopernaLimnoperna are generally comparable to those described in Europe and North America for another invasive mussel— Dreissena polymorpha. However, given Limnoperna’s. However, given Limnoperna’s wider tolerance limits, its influence on newly invaded water bodies, potentially including Europe and North America, will probably be stronger.