Ecosystem services provided by the exotic bivalves Dreissena polymorpha, D. rostriformis bugensis, and Limnoperna fortunei

BURLAKOVA, LYUBOV E.; KARATAYEV, ALEXANDER Y.; BOLTOVSKOY, DEMETRIO; CORREA, NANCY M.

HYDROBIOLOGIA

SPRINGER

Año: 2022 vol. 850 p. 2811 - 2854

0018-8158

The ecosystem services approach toconservation is becoming central to environmentalpolicy decision making. While many negative biologicalinvasion-driven impacts on ecosystem structureand functioning have been identified, much lesswas done to evaluate their ecosystem services. In thispaper, we focus on the often-overlooked ecosystemservices provided by three notable exotic ecosystemengineering bivalves, the zebra mussel, the quaggamussel, and the golden mussel. One of the mostsignificant benefits of invasive bivalves is water filtration,which results in water purification and changesrates of nutrient cycling, thus mitigating the effectsof eutrophication. Mussels are widely used as sentinelorganisms for the assessment and biomonitoringof contaminants and pathogens and are consumed bymany fishes and birds. Benefits of invasive bivalvesare particularly relevant in human-modified ecosystems.We summarize the multiple ecosystem servicesprovided by invasive bivalves and recommendincluding the economically quantifiable services inthe assessments of their economic impacts. We alsohighlight important ecosystem disservices by exoticbivalves, identify data limitations, and future researchdirections. This assessment should not be interpretedas a rejection of the fact that invasive mussels havenegative impacts, but as an attempt to provide additionalinformation for scientists, managers, andpolicymakers.