Environmental modulation of reproductive activity of Limnoperna fortunei in South America

BOLTOVSKOY, DEMETRIO; SYLVESTER, FRANCISCO; OTAEGUI, ALEJANDRO; LEITES, VALENTIN; CATALDO, DANIEL

Nijmegen, Netherlands

Congreso; ICAIS 2007 (15th International Conference on Aquatic Invasive Species); 2007

ICAIS

Environmental Modulation of the Reproductive Activity of the Invasive Mussel Limnoperna fortunei in South AmericaLimnoperna fortunei in South America Demetrio Boltovskoy, Francisco Sylvester and Daniel H. Cataldo Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución Buenos Aires, C1428EHA Argentina Alejandro Otaegui and Valentín Leytes Comisión Técnica Mixta Salto Grande, Argentina-Uruguay Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución Buenos Aires, C1428EHA Argentina Alejandro Otaegui and Valentín Leytes Comisión Técnica Mixta Salto Grande, Argentina-Uruguay Francisco Sylvester and Daniel H. Cataldo Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución Buenos Aires, C1428EHA Argentina Alejandro Otaegui and Valentín Leytes Comisión Técnica Mixta Salto Grande, Argentina-Uruguay Between 1997 and 2006 we monitored the reproductive activity of the invasive fouling mussel Limnoperna fortuneiLimnoperna fortunei in five Argentine water bodies of the Río de la Plata watershed and one reservoir located farther west. In all cases reproductive relaxation occurs in the winter. At four of the six sites surveyed larval densities are above 10% of the yearly mean for 8.8 to 10.2 months per year. In contrast, at a reservoir with comparatively low food supply reproductive activity drops to 5.9 months, and at another where strong blooms of microcystin-producing Cyanobacteria occur, in addition to the winter trough, there is a very well defined drop in larval numbers in the middle of the summer. These results suggest that, in addition to temperature, two major factors modulate the reproductive activity of L. fortunei: 1) the availability of food, and 2) blooms of toxic Cyanobacteria, shortening the otherwise very long reproductive period significantly. This information is important for the design of antifouling programs involving the use of moluscicides as it can allow cutting down the environmental impact due to flushed out biocide by 40%, and reduce the overall costs of chemical treatment by 50% or more. It also may allow designing alternative strategies in areas and/or with products that have limitations in the number of applications per year allowed. the availability of food, and 2) blooms of toxic Cyanobacteria, shortening the otherwise very long reproductive period significantly. This information is important for the design of antifouling programs involving the use of moluscicides as it can allow cutting down the environmental impact due to flushed out biocide by 40%, and reduce the overall costs of chemical treatment by 50% or more. It also may allow designing alternative strategies in areas and/or with products that have limitations in the number of applications per year allowed. L. fortunei: 1) the availability of food, and 2) blooms of toxic Cyanobacteria, shortening the otherwise very long reproductive period significantly. This information is important for the design of antifouling programs involving the use of moluscicides as it can allow cutting down the environmental impact due to flushed out biocide by 40%, and reduce the overall costs of chemical treatment by 50% or more. It also may allow designing alternative strategies in areas and/or with products that have limitations in the number of applications per year allowed.