Effects of an invasive bivalve (Dreissena polymorpha) on fish in the Hudson River estuary

2004 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 924-941 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L Strayer ◽  
Kathryn A Hattala ◽  
Andrew W Kahnle
Keyword(s):  
Fish Species ◽  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Hudson River ◽  
Alosa Sapidissima ◽  
Median Increase ◽  
Littoral Species ◽  
Water Species

Despite predictions that the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) invasion of North America would damage fisheries, analyses of actual effects on fish have been few and equivocal. We analyze 26 years of data on fish populations in the Hudson River to quantify changes associated with the zebra mussel invasion. Based on our measurements of changes in the lower food web, we predicted that populations of open-water fish species (e.g., Alosa spp.) would suffer and populations of littoral fish species (e.g., Centrarchidae) would prosper from the zebra mussel invasion. We found that the median decrease in abundance of open-water species was 28%, whereas the median increase in abundance of littoral species was 97%. Populations of open-water species shifted downriver away from the zebra mussel population, whereas those of littoral species shifted upriver. Median apparent growth rates fell by 17% among open-water species and rose by 12% in the single littoral species studied. Many of the observed changes were large and involved species of commercial or recreational importance (e.g., American shad (Alosa sapidissima), black basses (Micropterus spp.)). The influence of zebra mussels on fish should vary widely across ecosystems as a function of system morphology, factors that limit primary production, and diets of the fish species.

Arrival, spread, and early dynamics of a zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) population in the Hudson River estuary

1996 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 1143-1149 ◽  
Author(s):  
D L Strayer ◽  
J Powell ◽  
P Ambrose ◽  
L C Smith ◽  
M L Pace ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Hudson River ◽  
Hudson River Estuary

Interactions between zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) and microbial communities

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 591-599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc E Frischer ◽  
Sandra A Nierzwicki-Bauer ◽  
Robert H Parsons ◽  
Kanda Vathanodorn ◽  
Kelli R Waitkus
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Hudson River ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Community Diversity ◽  
Ecological Effect ◽  
Clearance Rates ◽  
Surrounding Water ◽  
The Impact

Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) have had an enormous impact on aquatic environments. However, little is known concerning their interactions with microbial communities. In these studies, the ability of zebra mussels to derive nutrition from bacterioplankton and their effect on microbial community diversity were investigated in samples from the Hudson River, New York, and in laboratory studies. Clear physiological responses to starvation were observed, including decreases in respiration rates, lipid content, and total weight, that were reversed after feeding zebra mussels a diet of bacteria. Clearance rates of bacteria were correlated with bacteria size (r2= 0.995), with the lowest clearance rates associated with small indigenous river bacteria (size = 0.03 ± 0.04 µm3, clearance rate = 0.08 ± 0.02 mL·mussel-1·min-1). Comparison of the diversity of microbial communities in zebra mussel tissue extract, detritus, and pseudofecal material associated with zebra mussel colonies, surrounding water, and sediment samples revealed distinct microbial assemblages associated with these environments. The overall ecological effect and importance of bacteria - zebra mussel interactions remains unclear, but these studies indicate that these interactions occur and should be included in our efforts to better understand the impact of zebra mussels on aquatic systems.

Filtration of Hudson River Water by the Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha)

Estuaries ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hudson A. Roditi ◽  
Nina F. Caraco ◽  
Jonathan J. Cole ◽  
David L. Strayer
Keyword(s):  
River Water ◽  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Hudson River

Has the Hudson River fish community recovered from the zebra mussel invasion along with its forage base?

2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (8) ◽  
pp. 1146-1157 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L. Strayer ◽  
Kathryn A. Hattala ◽  
Andrew W. Kahnle ◽  
Robert D. Adams
Keyword(s):  
Geographic Distribution ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Large Data ◽  
Hudson River ◽  
Systematic Change ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Littoral Fish ◽  
Forage Base

In the first decade after zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) appeared in the Hudson River, the biomass of zooplankton and deepwater macrobenthos fell by ∼50%, while the biomass of littoral macrobenthos rose by >10%. These changes in the forage base were associated with large, differential changes in the abundance, geographic distribution, and growth rates of openwater and littoral fish. In recent years, populations of zooplankton and deepwater macrobenthos have risen towards pre-invasion levels, while littoral macrobenthos remained unchanged. We therefore hypothesized that the abundance, distribution, and growth rates of openwater fish species would shift back towards pre-invasion levels, while littoral fish species would not change. Our analysis of large data sets for young-of-year fishes found no systematic change in the abundance or geographic distribution of either group of fish in the Hudson. We did find a marked increase in growth rates of openwater fish, but no change in growth rates of littoral fish, in support of our hypothesis. Our study shows that the ecological effects of a biological invasion may change over time.

scholarly journals GoFish: A Streamlined Environmental DNA Presence/Absence Assay for Marine Vertebrates

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Y. Stoeckle ◽  
Mithun Das Mishu ◽  
Zachary Charlop-Powers
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Hudson River ◽  
Illumina Miseq ◽  
Turnaround Time ◽  
Seasonal Abundance ◽  
Thermal Cycler ◽  
Species Specific

AbstractHere we describe GoFish, a streamlined environmental DNA (eDNA) presence/absence assay. The assay amplifies a 12S segment with broad-range vertebrate primers, followed by nested PCR with M13-tailed, species-specific primers. Sanger sequencing confirms positives detected by gel electrophoresis. We first obtained 12S sequences from 77 fish specimens representing 36 northwestern Atlantic taxa not well documented in GenBank. Using the newly obtained and published 12S records, we designed GoFish assays for 11 bony fish species common in the lower Hudson River estuary and tested seasonal abundance and habitat preference at two sites. Additional assays detected nine cartilaginous fish species and a marine mammal, bottlenose dolphin, in southern New York Bight. GoFish sensitivity was equivalent to Illumina MiSeq metabarcoding. Unlike quantitative PCR (qPCR), GoFish does not require tissues of target and related species for assay development and a basic thermal cycler is sufficient. Unlike Illumina metabarcoding, indexing and batching samples are unnecessary and advanced bioinformatics expertise is not needed. The assay can be carried out from water collection to result in three days. The main limitations so far are species with shared target sequences and inconsistent amplification of rarer eDNAs. We think this approach will be a useful addition to current eDNA methods when analyzing presence/absence of known species, when turnaround time is important, and in educational settings.

Effects of the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) invasion on the macrobenthos of the freshwater tidal Hudson River

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L Strayer ◽  
Lane C Smith ◽  
Dean C Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Shallow Water ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Hudson River ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Simple Change ◽  
Local Densities ◽  
Animal Communities ◽  
Hard Substrata

To assess the effect of the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) invasion on benthic animal communities, we monitored the macrozoobenthos at eight sites in the freshwater tidal Hudson River in 1990-1995. Zebra mussels were absent or scarce in the Hudson River before September 1992, but abundant (mean 17 000/m2) on hard substrata in 1993-1995 and responsible for large declines in phytoplankton biomass. All of our monitoring stations had soft sediments, and so had low local densities of zebra mussels (mean 78/m2). Nevertheless, we observed marked changes in the macrozoobenthos at these stations. Sphaeriid clams declined by 67% between 1990-1992 and 1993-1995, but no other group of macrobenthos showed a simple change in density between 1990-1992 and 1993-1995 across all eight monitoring sites. Instead, most taxa showed a strong interaction between zebra mussel impacts and water depth. At deep-water sites, macrozoobenthic density declined by 33% between 1990-1992 and 1993-1995, while at shallow-water sites, density rose by 25%. We suggest that these changes were probably caused by reduced sedimentation of edible particles at deep-water sites combined with increased biomass of macrophytes and attached algae at shallow-water sites.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document