Dead or alive: the effect of shells and living individuals of Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834) on habitat selection and behaviour of European unionid bivalves

By

Wiśniewski, Kamil
Szarmach, Daniel
Kobak, Jarosław
Kakareko, Tomasz
Jermacz, Łukasz
Poznanska-Kakareko, Malgorzata

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2024

Original Publication

NeoBiota : advancing research on alien species and biological invasions

Volume

94

Pages

243--259

Subjects

behaviour , Biological invasions , Bivalvia , ecosystem engineers , Habitat selection , interspecific interactions , species displacement , unionid mussels

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sophia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.94.119622

 

Abstract

1. Ecosystem engineering freshwater bivalves, burrowing in the substratum and accumulating shell deposits, transform bottom habitats. Especially the invasive Asian bivalve Sinanodonta woodiana (SW), due to its rapid growth, large size, and high fecundity, can affect benthic communities. Here, we determined its effect on habitat selection and behaviour of endangered native bivalves, Anodonta cygnea and Unio tumidus.<br> 2. We conducted laboratory preference assays (Experiment 1: choice between two substrata) exposing the native bivalves to pure sand (control), shells (several densities on the sand surface or burrowed), or living SW. Then, we tested their locomotion and burrowing (Experiment 2) on pure sand and substrata contaminated with shells or living SW.<br> 3. In Experiment 1, native bivalves avoided shells, but not living SW. Burrowed and larger shells were avoided compared with those on the surface and smaller ones, respectively.<br> 4. In Experiment 2, U. tumidus exposed to SW delayed activity initiation (in response to living bivalves), increased locomotion (living bivalves, surface shells), and reduced burrowing depth (living bivalves, all shells). Anodonta cygnea exposed to SW reduced locomotion speed (living bivalves, shells), and reduced burrowing duration (burrowed shells) and depth (living bivalves, burrowed shells).<br> 5. SW (especially shell beds) constitutes another emerging threat to native bivalves, impairing their burrowing and inducting active avoidance. As SW expands its distribution with climate warming, the range and strength of its impact is likely to increase, reducing the area available to native bivalves, exposing them to environmental dangers (due to burrowing limitation) and deteriorating physical condition (energetic resources used for excessive locomotion).