The Colonization of a Cold Spring Ecosystem by the Invasive Species Potamopyrgus Antipodarum (Gray, 1843) (Gastropoda: Tateidae) (Southern Poland)

Springs are unique aquatic environments that support specific biota, including endemic species and rare species listed in Red Lists. Due to their usually small size, springs are highly sensitive to disturbance. Many of them are threatened by aquifer depletion, contamination, surface-water diversion, livestock trampling, recreation, and invasive species. The aim of this study was to assess the colonization success of the invasive New Zealand mud snail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) in a cold spring ecosystem in southern Poland. In Europe, this species has recently been added to the top “hundred worst” alien species due to its impact on invaded ecosystems. The study was carried out in two areas of the spring ecosystem—in the springhead and the springbrook—over a four-year period. Potamopyrus antipodarum dominated the benthic macroinvertebrate communities in both areas of the spring ecosystem. Nevertheless, its abundance in the springbrook was significantly greater, and increased noticeably during subsequent years compared to that in the springhead. The populations of P. antipodarum were exclusively composed of females. Smaller-sized New Zealand mudsnails were more abundant near the spring’s source than at the second site. The females at the springhead became fecund at sizes as small as 3.7 mm (the number of embryos was between 0 and 37), while at the springbrook, embryos were found in snails as small as 3.4 mm (the number of embryos was between 0 and 42). Our results suggest that the lower water temperature at the springhead may limit the population size of P. antipodarum, thus making its density too low to be able to affect the community structure of benthic macroinvertebrates, including the spring snail Bythinella cf. austriaca.

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Interactions Between the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail (Potamopyrgus Antipodarum) and a Native Snail (Fossaria Bakerilymnaea Bulimoides Group) in the Greater Yeelowstone

The UW National Parks Service Research Station Annual Reports ◽

10.13001/uwnpsrc.2011.3815 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 33 ◽

pp. 161-170

Author(s):

Heather Thon ◽

Amy Krist

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

New Zealand ◽

American West ◽

Biological Diversity ◽

Potamopyrgus Antipodarum ◽

The Past ◽

Conservation Concern ◽

And Function ◽

New Zealand Mud Snail ◽

The Impact

Understanding invasive species impacts is critical to determining how an ecosystem may function after an introduction. Invasive species can alter the structure and function of ecosystems, reduce biological diversity, and alter communities through predation, facilitation and competition. In the past 30 years, the invasive New Zealand mud snail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) has established in areas of conservation concern in the American West including Yellowstone National Park. To develop a greater understanding of the impact of P. antipodarum on the native co-occurring snail, Fossaria (Bakerilymnaea) bulimoides group, we conducted two experiments to assess the interactions occurring between these snails. We found that F. bulimoides growth was reduced by all interactors, but especially by P. antipodarum. In addition, growth of F. bulimoides was much more affected by high biomass of snails than P. antipodarum. P. antipodarum grew more in the presence of interactors and their growth was facilitated by the presence of the native snail F. bulimoides.

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The Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail, Potamopyrgus Antipodarum, Reduces Growth of the Native Snail, Fossaria SP.

The UW National Parks Service Research Station Annual Reports ◽

10.13001/uwnpsrc.2005.3605 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 29 ◽

pp. 42-48

Author(s):

Amy Krist ◽

Mark Dybdahl

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

New Zealand ◽

Biological Invasions ◽

Native Species ◽

Rapid Evolution ◽

Potamopyrgus Antipodarum ◽

Ecological Impacts ◽

Or Gene ◽

New Zealand Mud Snail ◽

The Impact

Invasive species are one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity. Hence, understanding the role of invasive species is of grave importance to managing and minimizing the impact of biological invasions. To date, the ecological impacts of biological invasions have received significant attention, but little effort has been made to address the evolutionary impact (Sakai et al. 2001, Cox 2004). This is despite the fact that evolutionary impacts are likely to be widespread; invasive species have been shown to alter patterns of natural selection or gene flow within native populations (Parker et al. 1999), and many of the best examples of rapid evolution involve invasive species interacting with native species (Reznick and Ghalambor 2001, Strauss et al. 2006). We have begun to address some of the evolutionary consequences of the invasion of the New Zealand mud snail, (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) on a species of native snail in the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA).

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Using in-situ environmental DNA sampling to detect the invasive New Zealand Mud Snail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) in freshwaters

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.11835 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. e11835

Author(s):

Jake J. Ponce ◽

Ivan Arismendi ◽

Austen Thomas

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

New Zealand ◽

Environmental Dna ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Potamopyrgus Antipodarum ◽

Real Time Quantitative Pcr ◽

Mud Snail ◽

Rapid Responses ◽

Detection Approach ◽

New Zealand Mud Snail

Environmental DNA (eDNA) detection of aquatic invasive species is currently at the forefront of aquatic conservation efforts because the methodology provides a cost effective and sensitive means to detect animals at low densities. Developments in eDNA technologies have improved detection probabilities for rare, indicator, and invasive species over the past decade. However, standard lab analysis can take days or weeks before results are available and is prohibitive when rapid management decisions are required for mitigation. Here, we investigated the performance of a real-time quantitative PCR system for on-site eDNA detection of New Zealand mud snails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum). Six sites in western Washington, USA were sampled using the rapid eDNA technique and traditional methods, with five samples per site. On-site eDNA detection of mud snails resulted in a 10% increase in positive sites (16/30 = 53% positive) relative to visual surveys (13/30 = 43% positive). In addition, positive associations were observed between mud snail eDNA concentration (eDNA copies per reaction) and the number of mud snail individuals at each site (R2 = 0.78). We show that the rapid on-site eDNA technology can be effective for detection and quantification of New Zealand mud snails in freshwaters. This on-site eDNA detection approach could possibly be used to initiate management protocols that allow for more rapid responses during the onset of biological invasions.

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