Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

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

  • Primary research paper
  • Published:
Hydrobiologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Since its introduction in South America around 1990, the freshwater Asian mussel Limnoperna fortunei has been shown to strongly interact with several components of the local biota. However, investigation of its ecosystem-wide effects was hindered by (1) difficulties associated with evaluation of its densities over large spatial scales and (2) scarcity of pre-invasion environmental data. The present survey overcomes these shortcomings and addresses the question whether Limnoperna’s impact on the ecosystem-wide scale is measurable and significant. On the basis of diver-collected bottom samples, we estimated the overall density of this mussel in a reservoir (Embalse de Río Tercero, Argentina), where Limnoperna is present since 1998 and analyzed changes in several water-column properties before and after the invasion. The 47 km2 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 area with highest mussel densities. Our results indicate that the ecosystem-wide impacts of Limnoperna are generally comparable to those described in Europe and North America for another invasive mussel—Dreissena polymorpha. However, given Limnoperna’s wider tolerance limits, its influence on newly invaded water bodies, potentially including Europe and North America, will probably be stronger.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Avelar, W. E., S. L. Martim & M. P. Vianna, 2004. A new occurrence of Limnoperna fortunei (Dunker 1856) (Bivalvia, Mytilidae) in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Biology 64: 739–742.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Boltovskoy, D. & D. Cataldo, 1999. Population dynamics of Limnoperna fortunei, an invasive fouling mollusc, in the lower Paraná River (Argentina). Biofouling 14: 255–263.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boltovskoy, D., N. Correa, D. Cataldo & F. Sylvester, 2006. Dispersion and impact of invasive freshwater bivalves: Limnoperna fortunei in the Río de la Plata watershed and beyond. Biological Invasions 8: 947–963.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boltovskoy D., F. Sylvester, A. Otaegui, V. Leytes & D. Cataldo, 2009. Environmental modulation of the reproductive activity of the invasive mussel Limnoperna fortunei in South America. Austral Ecology. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-9993.2009.01974.x.

  • Brown, J. H. & D. F. Sax, 2004. An essay on some topics concerning invasive species. Austral Ecology 29: 530–536.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruesewitz, D. A., J. L. Tank & M. J. Bernot, 2008. Delineating the effects of Zebra Mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) on N transformation rates using laboratory mesocosms. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 27: 236–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burlakova, L. E., A. Y. Karatayev & D. K. Padilla, 2006. Changes in the distribution and abundance of Dreissena polymorpha within lakes through time. Hydrobiologia 571: 133–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caraco, N. F., J. J. Cole, P. A. Raymond, D. L. Strayer, M. L. Pace, S. E. G. Findlay & D. T. Fischer, 1997. Zebra Mussel invasion in a large, turbid river: phytoplankton response to increased grazing. Ecology 78: 588–602.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caraco, N. F., J. J. Cole & D. L. Strayer, 2006. Top-down control from the bottom: REGULATION of eutrophication in a large river by benthic grazing. Limnology and Oceanography 51: 664–670.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cataldo, D. & D. Boltovskoy, 2000. Yearly reproductive activity of Limnoperna fortunei (Bivalvia) as inferred from the occurrence of its larvae in the plankton of the lower Paraná River and the Río de la Plata estuary (Argentina). Aquatic Ecology 34: 307–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cataldo, D., D. Boltovskoy & M. Pose, 2003. Toxicity of chlorine and three non-oxidizing molluscicides to the invasive pest mussel Limnoperna fortunei. Journal of the American Waterworks Association (AWWA) 95: 66–78.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cataldo, D., D. Boltovskoy, J. L. Hermosa & C. Canzi, 2005. Temperature-dependent larval development rates of Limnoperna fortunei (Mollusca, Bivalvia). Journal of Molluscan Studies 71: 41–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coakley, J. P., G. R. Brown, S. E. Ioannou & M. N. Charlton, 1997. Colonization patterns and densities of Zebra Mussel Dreissena in muddy offshore sediments of Western Lake Erie, Canada. Water, Air and Soil Pollution 99: 623–632.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Darrigran, G., 2002. Potential impact of filter-feeding invaders on temperate inland freshwater environments. Biological Invasions 4: 145–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Darrigran, G. & C. Damborenea, 2005. A South American bioinvasion case history: Limnoperna fortunei (Dunker, 1857), the Golden Mussel. American Malacological Bulletin 20: 105–112.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drago, E. C. & P. J. Depetris, 1974. Erosión en la cuenca imbrífera y sedimentación en el embalse de Río Tercero (Córdoba, Argentina). Revista de la Asociación Geológica Argentina 29: 470–478.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hecky, R. E., R. E. H. Smith, D. R. Barton, S. J. Guildford, W. D. Taylor, M. N. Charlton & T. Howell, 2004. The nearshore phosphorus shunt: a consequence of ecosystem engineering by dreissenids in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Canadian Journal of Aquatic and Fisheries Science 61: 1285–1293.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Karatayev, A. Y., L. E. Burlakova & D. K. Padilla, 1997. The effects of Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas) invasion on áquatic communities in Eastern Europe. Journal of Shellfish Research 16: 187–203.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karatayev, A. Y., L. E. Burlakova & D. K. Padilla, 2003. Impacts of Zebra Mussels on aquatic communities and their role as ecosystem engineers. In Leppäkoski, E., S. Gollasch & S. Olenin (eds), Invasive Aquatic Species of Europe – Distribution, Impacts and Management. Kluwer Academic Publishers, The Netherlands: 433–446.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karatayev, A. Y., D. Boltovskoy, D. K. Padilla & L. E. Burlakova, 2007. The invasive bivalves Dreissena polymorpha and Limnoperna fortunei: parallels, contrasts, potential spread and invasion impacts. Journal of Shellfish Research 26: 205–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewandowski, K., 1982. The role of early developmental stages in the dynamics of Dreissena polymorpha (Pall.) (Bivalvia) populations in lakes. II. Settling of larvae and the dynamics of number of settled individuals. Ekologia Polska 30: 223–286.

    Google Scholar 

  • Makarewicz, J. C., P. Bertram & T. W. Lewis, 2000. Chemistry of offshore surface waters of Lake Erie: pre- and post-Dreissena introduction (1983–1993). Journal of Great Lakes Research 26: 82–93.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Manly, B. F. J., 1992. The Design and Analysis of Research Studies. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 1–353.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mariazzi, A., J. Donadelii, P. Arenas, M. DiSiervi & C. Bonetto, 1992. Impact of a nuclear power plant on water quality of Embalse del Río Tercero Reservoir (Córdoba, Argentina). Hydrobiologia 246: 129–140.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mellina, E., J. B. Rasmussen & E. L. Mills, 1995. Impact of Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) on phosphorus cycling and chlorophyll in lakes. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 52: 2553–2573.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Molloy, D. P., A. Y. Karatayev, L. E. Burlakova, D. P. Kurandina & F. Laruelle, 1997. Natural enemies of Zebra Mussels: predators, parasites, and ecological competitors. Reviews in Fisheries Science 5: 27–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Montalto, L., O. B. Oliveros, I. de Ezcurra Drago & L. D. Demonte, 1999. Peces del Río Paraná medio predadores de una especie invasora: Limnoperna fortunei (Bivalvia, Mytilidae). Revista de la Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas de la Universidad Nacional del Litoral 3: 85–101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muskó, I. B. & B. Bakó, 2005. The density and biomass of Dreissena polymorpha living on submerged macrophytes in Lake Balaton (Hungary). Archiv für Hydrobiologie 162: 229–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nalepa, T. F., J. A. Wojcik, D. L. Fanslow & G. A. Lang, 1995. Initial colonization of the Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron: population recruitment, density, and size structure. Journal of Great Lakes Research 21: 417–434.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paolucci, E. M., D. H. Cataldo, C. M. Fuentes & D. Boltovskoy, 2007. Larvae of the invasive species, Limnoperna fortunei (Bivalvia), in the diet of fish larvae in the Paraná River. Hydrobiologia 589: 219–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pastorino, G., G. Darrigran, S. Martin & L. Lunaschi, 1993. Limnoperna fortunei (Dunker, 1957) (Mytilidae) nuevo bivalvo invasor en aguas del Río de la Plata. Neotropica 39: 101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Penchaszadeh, P. E., G. Darrigran, C. Angulo, A. Averbuj, M. Brogger, A. Dogliotti & N. Pirez, 2000. Predation of the invasive freshwater mussel Limnoperna fortunei (Dunker, 1857) (Mytilidae) by the fish Leporinus obtusidens Valenciennes, 1846 (Anostomidae) in the Río de la Plata, Argentina. Journal of Shellfish Research 19: 229–231.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petrie, S. & R. Knapton, 1999. Rapid increase and subsequent decline of zebra and quagga mussels in Long Point Bay, Lake Erie: possible influence of waterfowl predation. Journal of Great Lakes Research 25: 772–782.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phelps, H. L., 1994. The Asiatic clam (Corbicula fluminea) invasion and system-level ecological change in the Potomac River estuary near Washington, DC. Estuaries 17: 614–621.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ricciardi, A., 1998. Global range expansion of the Asian mussel Limnoperna fortunei (Mytilidae): another fouling threat to freshwater systems. Biofouling 13: 97–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sardiña, P., D. Cataldo & D. Boltovskoy, 2008. The effects of the invasive mussel, Limnoperna fortunei, on associated fauna in South American freshwaters: importance of physical structure and food supply. Fundamental and Applied Limnology (Archiv für Hydrobiologie) 173: 135–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stanczykowska, A., 1977. Ecology of Dreissena polymorpha (Pall.) (Bivalvia) in lakes. Polskie Archiwum Hydrobiologii 24: 461–530.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Strayer, D. L. & H. M. Malcom, 2006. Long-term demography of a Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) population. Freshwater Biology 51: 117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strayer, D. L., J. Powell, P. Ambrose, L. C. Smith, M. L. Pace & D. T. Fischer, 1996. Arrival, spread, and early dynamics of a Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) population in the Hudson River estuary Canadian. Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 53: 1143–1149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strayer, D. L., N. F. Caraco, J. J. Cole, S. Findlay & M. L. Pace, 1999. Transformation of freshwater ecosystems by bivalves. A case study of Zebra Mussels in the Hudson River. BioScience 2: 19–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sylvester, F., J. Dorado, D. Boltovskoy, A. Juárez & D. Cataldo, 2005. Filtration rates of the invasive pest bivalve Limnoperna fortunei as a function of size and temperature. Hydrobiologia 534: 71–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sylvester, F., D. Boltovskoy & D. Cataldo, 2007a. Fast response of freshwater consumers to a new trophic resource: predation on the recently introduced Asian bivalve Limnoperna fortunei in the lower Paraná River, South America. Austral Ecology 32: 403–415.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sylvester, F., D. Boltovskoy & D. Cataldo, 2007b. The invasive bivalve Limnoperna fortunei enhances benthic invertebrate densities in South American Floodplain Rivers. Hydrobiologia 589: 15–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vanderploeg, H. A., T. F. Nalepa, D. J. Jude, E. L. Mills, K. T. Holeck, J. R. Liebig, I. A. Grigorovich & H. Ojaveer, 2002. Dispersal and emerging ecological impacts of Ponto-Caspian species in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 57: 1209–1228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was financed by the following grants to DB: UBA X096, PICT (ANPCyT) 25275, and Fundación Williams. A. Karatayev and L. Burlakova were supported by a Stephen F. Austin State University Faculty Research Grant. The assistance of Miguel Hechem in the field is greatly appreciated.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Demetrio Boltovskoy & Daniel Cataldo

  2. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Demetrio Boltovskoy & Daniel Cataldo

  3. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Demetrio Boltovskoy & Daniel Cataldo

  4. Great Lakes Center, Buffalo State College, 261 Science Building, 1300 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo, NY, 14222, USA

    Alexander Karatayev & Lyubov Burlakova

  5. City Honors School, 186 East North Street, Buffalo, NY, 14204, USA

    Vadim Karatayev

  6. Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, N9B 3P4, Canada

    Francisco Sylvester

  7. ILPLA, Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas Bs. As., Av. Calchaquí km 23.5, 1888, Florencio Varela, Argentina

    Alejandro Mariñelarena

Authors
  1. Demetrio Boltovskoy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alexander Karatayev
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Lyubov Burlakova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Daniel Cataldo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Vadim Karatayev
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Francisco Sylvester
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Alejandro Mariñelarena
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Demetrio Boltovskoy.

Additional information

Handling editor: R. Bailey

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Boltovskoy, D., Karatayev, A., Burlakova, L. et al. Significant ecosystem-wide effects of the swiftly spreading invasive freshwater bivalve Limnoperna fortunei . Hydrobiologia 636, 271–284 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-009-9956-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-009-9956-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation