Impact of an exotic clam, Corbula gibba, on the commercial scallop Pecten fumatus in Port Phillip Bay, south-east Australia: evidence of resource-restricted growth in a subtidal environment

Talman, Sonia G.; Keough, Michael J.

doi:10.3354/meps221135

Cited by 17 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…In a soft-sediment marine context, invasive species have negative impacts through competition (Talman & Keough 2001), predation (Grosholz et al 2000, Ross et al 2003) and the alteration of habitat characteristics (Levi & Francour 2004). However, the response of natural communities to invasive species is complex, and impacts can have positive, negative, or no effects, depending on the species, location, age, or type of habitat considered (Neira et al 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasive seaweed enhances recruitment of a native bivalve: roles of refuge from predation and the habitat choice of recruits

Gribben¹,

Wright²

2006

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Invasive species may have a range of negative effects on native species in the region invaded. The invasive green alga Caulerpa taxifolia has invaded several temperate regions worldwide and now occurs in 9 estuaries in temperate eastern Australia. Despite the threat posed by C. taxifolia, virtually nothing is known of its effects on native estuarine infauna. In the present study, we investigated the distribution and abundance, habitat choice and predation of recruits (post-set juveniles) of the native Sydney cockle Anadara trapezia at 2 sites invaded by C. taxifolia in Lake Conjola, New South Wales, Australia. Recruitment of A. trapezia was significantly higher in C. taxifolia (both with sparse [30%] and with dense [100%] cover) than in Zostera capricorni and bare sediment. Up to 680 recruits m -2 were observed in C. taxifolia, with the highest recruit densities occurring at intermediate C. taxifolia densities. However, in habitat choice experiments, recruits showed no preference for C. taxifolia over the seagrasses Z. capricorni and Halophila ovalis, but a strong preference for adult A. trapezia over all macrophytes when A. trapezia were included as treatments in experiments. Field data showed that adult A. trapezia in bare sediments had very few recruits attached to them (< 0.07 recruits adult -1 ) compared to adults found within C. taxifolia (0.95 ± 0.25 and 1.23 ± 0.31 recruits adult -1 at the 2 sites). Given that recruits displayed a strong preference for adults, but were rare on adults living in bare sediments, we tested whether C. taxifolia provided a refuge from predation. Recruits on adults placed into a bare sediment habitat were all consumed by predatory fish within 15 min, whereas none of the recruits on adults in an adjacent C. taxifolia habitat were eaten. Our results show that recruits do not reject C. taxifolia as a recruitment substratum despite showing preference for adult conspecifics, and that C. taxifolia may, by providing recruits with a refuge from predation enhance the recruitment of A. trapezia compared to uninvaded sediment. Although the long-term consequences of this enhanced recruitment are unknown, our study demonstrates that, contrary to commonly held views, the effects of C. taxifolia are not always negative.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasive seaweed enhances recruitment of a native bivalve: roles of refuge from predation and the habitat choice of recruits

Gribben¹,

Wright²

2006

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…Density-dependent processes influencing population dynamics include: competition for settlement space and food (Weinberg, 1998), predation response to localised biomass (Richards et al, 2002) or prey size composition (Hiddink et al, 2002), intensity of settlement cues originating from existing populations (Ahn et al, 1993). Density-independent determinants of population size and structure are: that of the prevailing climate on nutrient availability (Kennish, 1997), on larval supply (Bonardelli et al, 1996), on growth and fecundity (Urban and Tarazona, 1996) and on mortality (Young et al, 1996), both seasonally (Young et al, 1996;Strasser et al, 2001), and over the period of decades (MacCall, 2002), interactions with invasive species (Hunter and Bailey, 1991;Talman and Keough, 2001), and the relationship between hydrology and larval and food supply from "upstream" populations (David et al, 1997).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimates of biomass, sustainable yield, and harvest: neither necessary nor sufficient for the management of non-commercial urban intertidal shellfish fisheries

2005

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“…For C. gibba, this is borne out by the fact that populations are frequently found in unstable, perturbed and/or denuded habitats (Crema et al 1991, Theodorou 1994, Currie & Parry 1999, Pruvot et al 2000, Giacobbe & Rinelli 2002 for examples). Its success (Wilson et al 1998, Currie & Parry 1999, Talman & Keough 2001 in occupying less stressful habitats in locations outside its normal distribution (e.g. in Australia) can be explained by the absence in such locations of its usual competitors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The bivalve mollusc Corbula gibba (Olivi) is generally regarded as an invasive pest species (Crema et al 1991, Wilson et al 1998, Currie & Parry 1999, Talman & Keough 2001 colonising organically enriched environments resulting in monospecific stands (Pearson & Rosenberg 1978, Jensen 1990, Theodorou 1994, Giacobbe & Rinelli 2002. Accordingly, the accidental introduction of C. gibba into non-indigenous habitats, through ballast water, sea chests etc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Aspects of the ecology and population genetics of the bivalve Corbula gibba

Holmes¹,

Miller²

2006

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The bivalve mollusc Corbula gibba (Olivi) is often regarded as an invasive weed species that forms monospecific stands in organically enriched hypoxic habitats. However, despite its status as a potential menace, surprisingly little is known about its basic biology, including its dispersal capacity. Measurement of the respiration rate of C. gibba revealed a respiratory demand of 3.12 µl O 2 h -1 and a respiratory quotient of 0.61, which suggests that C. gibba adopts a conservationist rather than exploitative mode of life. Examination of the hypoxic tolerance of C. gibba determined that adults could survive for > 34 d (LT 50 ≥ 34 d) and juveniles for > 30 d (LT 50 = 14 d), indicating that this species is well adapted to living in low oxygen habitats. Unusually, adults under hypoxia had a greater survival rate than control adults in normoxic conditions. Investigation of the salinity tolerance of C. gibba revealed that it could readily survive for 2 d at 0 to 16 psu, with increasing mortality for up to 10 d. In brackish seawater, survival was indistinguishable from that in normal seawater. Examination of the population genetics of 6 different populations of C. gibba separated over various spatial scales, using RAPD PCR methodology, determined that all populations were genetically distinct from each other, including populations separated by as little 5 km, although this may in part be due to the influence of a localised front. This suggests that the larval longevity and dispersal capacity of C. gibba is much less than has been previously considered. In light of all the results, it is concluded that instead of being an insidious pest species, C. gibba is more likely to be an inferior competitor, present in background numbers in normoxic habitats, and only becomes dominant when a system becomes hypoxic, thereby removing competitors and allowing C. gibba to flourish in the habitat to which it is adapted.

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Impact of an exotic clam, Corbula gibba, on the commercial scallop Pecten fumatus in Port Phillip Bay, south-east Australia: evidence of resource-restricted growth in a subtidal environment

Cited by 17 publications

References 40 publications

Invasive seaweed enhances recruitment of a native bivalve: roles of refuge from predation and the habitat choice of recruits

Invasive seaweed enhances recruitment of a native bivalve: roles of refuge from predation and the habitat choice of recruits

Estimates of biomass, sustainable yield, and harvest: neither necessary nor sufficient for the management of non-commercial urban intertidal shellfish fisheries

Aspects of the ecology and population genetics of the bivalve Corbula gibba

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