Little clams with big potential: nutrient release by invasive Corbicula fluminea can exceed co-occurring freshwater mussel (Unionidae) assemblages

Hopper, Garrett W.; Buchanan, Jonathan K.; González, Irene Sánchez; Kubala, Megan E.; Bucholz, Jamie R.; Lodato, Matthew B.; Lozier, Jeffrey D.; Atkinson, Carla L.

doi:10.1007/s10530-022-02792-9

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 95 publications

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“…By broadening the gradient of stream sizes included in our life history analysis, we might be able to detect clearer links between life history traits and secondary production. What is clear from our life history trait analysis is that an invasive species seems to have effect traits that are associated with patterns of biomass, production, and other key ecosystem functions (e.g., Hopper et al, 2022). This is especially important given that invasive species are a global threat to freshwater assemblages and to biodiversity in general (Reid et al, 2019; Strayer, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Secondary production and biomass in mussel assemblages relate to species richness and stream size but not life history

Lopez,

Atkinson,

Burrow

et al. 2024

Ecosphere

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Increases in species richness with habitat area (species–area relationship, or SAR) and increases in ecosystem function with species richness (biodiversity–ecosystem functioning, or BEF) are widely studied ecological patterns. Incorporating functional trait analysis into assemblage datasets may help clarify interpretations of SAR and BEF relationships in natural ecological systems. For example, life history theory can be used to make predictions about what species are most important in generating ecosystem function given a certain set of environmental conditions. We used quantitative assemblage data for freshwater mussels at nine sites in western Alabama, USA, to test for SAR and BEF relationships. At each site, we calculated species richness, mussel assemblage density, and two fundamental metrics of ecosystem function: biomass and secondary production. We also tested whether the proportional biomass and production contributions from species belonging to each of three life history strategies—opportunistic strategists adapted to unstable or frequently disturbed habitats, periodic strategists adapted to habitats subject to predictable large‐scale disturbances, and equilibrium strategists adapted to stable habitats—varied longitudinally with stream drainage area, a proxy for habitat area. Species richness increased with stream size (SAR), and both biomass and production increased with species richness (BEF) and mussel density. There were few longitudinal changes in the proportional contributions of the different life history strategy classifications that we used, but the invasive clam Corbicula fluminea contributed proportionally more biomass and production at sites that had smaller drainage areas. This study provides further evidence for a clear longitudinal SAR in stream‐dwelling taxa. It also suggests BEF relationships for biomass and secondary production in natural assemblages but underscores the importance of assemblage density in BEF studies that use observational field data. Variation in proportional biomass and production contributions by different life history strategies was likely limited by the size of the stream size gradient in our study, as contributions were uniformly high for species with life history traits better adapted to stable and productive habitats such as mid‐sized rivers with low or predictable hydrologic disturbance frequencies. This highlights the need to understand how organisms' functional traits govern their relationships to the environment at different scales.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Secondary production and biomass in mussel assemblages relate to species richness and stream size but not life history

Lopez,

Atkinson,

Burrow

et al. 2024

Ecosphere

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“…For instance, enigmatic mussel declines progress over decades from lower stream reaches toward headwater reaches (Haag 2019). Diversity and densities increase upstream in some rivers in the Tennessee and Alabama Basins compared to downstream reaches (Kelley et al 2022, Hopper et al 2022), whereas this is not the case in the two rivers representing the Tombigbee, but more extensive surveys of these systems are warranted. Finally, the Price equation only assesses underlying causes of ecosystem function changes across space in our study but does not provide details about the number of species needed to attain a level of ecosystem function.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used previously published NH 4 + (hereafter N) excretion rates scaled to each mussel assemblage to address our questions pertaining to mussel-mediated N recycling (Hopper et al 2021(Hopper et al , 2022. Briefly, we measured N excretion rates for 1281 individuals from 34 species from July to September 2019 and 2020 when water temperatures ranged from 24.0 to 31.1°C.…”

Section: Quantifying Mussel-mediated Nitrogen Recyclingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Different components of biodiversity mediate two ecosystem functions derived from naturally assembled filter‐feeder communities

Hopper

González

Bucholz

et al. 2023

Oikos

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Positive biodiversity–ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationships observed in experiments can be challenging to identify in natural communities. Freshwater animal communities are disproportionately harmed by global change that results in accelerated species loss. Understanding how animal‐mediated ecosystems functions may change as a result of global change can help determine whether biodiversity or species‐specific conservation will be effective at maintaining function. Unionid mussels represent half of imperiled species in freshwater ecosystems globally and perform important ecological functions such as water filtration and nutrient recycling. We explored BEF relationships for 22 naturally assembled mussel aggregations spanning three river basins. We used the Price equation to partition the contributions of species richness, composition, and context dependent interactions to two functions of interests: spatially‐explicit standing‐stock biomass (indirect proxy for function) and species‐specific nitrogen (N) excretion rates (direct measure of N recycling). Random and non‐random species loss each reduced biomass and N recycling. Many rare species with low contributions to biomass contributed to standing‐stock biomass in all basins. Widespread species had variable function across sites, such that context dependent effects (CDEs) outweighed richness effects on standing‐stock biomass in two basins, and were similar to richness effects in the third. Richness effects outweighed CDEs for N recycling. Thus, many species contributed a low proportion to overall N‐recycling; a product we attribute to the high evenness and functional effect trait diversity associated with these communities. The loss of low‐functioning species reduced the function of persisting species. This novel result using observational data adds evidence that positive species interactions, such as interspecific facilitation, may be a mechanism by which biodiversity enhances ecosystem functions. Our work stresses the importance of evaluating species‐specific contributions to functions in diverse systems, such as nutrient cycling when maintaining specific animal‐mediated functions is a management goal because indirect proxies may not completely characterize BEF relationships.

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“…C. fluminea feeding can further alter natural nutrient cycling in invaded systems by increasing the amount of organic matter (OM) deposited in the substrate when conditions are favorable for its suspension feeding and reducing OM deposition when conditions favor pedal feeding. More specifically, where Corbicula and unionids co‐occur, a shift in animal‐influenced nutrient cycling from control by native species to control by invasive species can occur (Hakenkamp & Palmer, 1999; Hopper et al, 2022). As for economic impacts, high densities of mucus‐secreting pediveliger larvae spawned by C. fluminea can clog pipes or other infrastructure such as heat exchangers, resulting in over a billion dollars in remediation costs annually (Foster et al, 2022; McMahon, 1999; Pimentel et al, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Broadscale distribution, abundance, and habitat associations of the invasive Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) in the lower Columbia River, USA

et al. 2022

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The Asian clam, Corbicula fluminea, is an invasive freshwater bivalve that has established populations across the globe and is known to have deleterious effects on natural and human systems. Yet, despite being present in the Columbia River (CR) for nearly a century, little is known about this invader's basic biology and ecology in this large river system. Thus, we undertook a field study to assess its (i) broadscale distribution and abundance, and (ii) associations with habitat characteristics in the lower CR. During 2019-2020, C. fluminea were collected from 27 shore-based stations spanning 481 river kilometers of the lower CR, along with several habitat characteristics (bank slope, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, conductivity, chlorophyll-a concentration, and sediment composition and % organic matter [OM]). C. fluminea abundance ranged from 0 to 430 ind. m −2 . Most sites with abundances >100 ind. m −2 were located downstream of Bonneville Dam, whereas most sites with abundances <100 ind. m −2 were located upstream. Generalized linear models predicting the abundance of C. fluminea indicated significantly positive correlations with water temperature and % sand, and negative correlations with bank slope and sedimentary % OM. We also reviewed the global literature on abundance and habitat associations of C. fluminea and compared this with our own results. Our investigation represents the greatest spatial extent at which C. fluminea has been studied in the CR and our results provide a better understanding of the basic biology and ecology of this global invader, as well as provide natural resource managers with information on habitat conditions favorable for this invasive bivalve within temperate river ecosystems.

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Little clams with big potential: nutrient release by invasive Corbicula fluminea can exceed co-occurring freshwater mussel (Unionidae) assemblages

Cited by 5 publications

References 95 publications

Secondary production and biomass in mussel assemblages relate to species richness and stream size but not life history

Secondary production and biomass in mussel assemblages relate to species richness and stream size but not life history

Different components of biodiversity mediate two ecosystem functions derived from naturally assembled filter‐feeder communities

Broadscale distribution, abundance, and habitat associations of the invasive Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) in the lower Columbia River, USA

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