Assessing interactions among native snails and the invasive New Zealand mud snail, Potamopyrgus antipodarum, using grazing experiments and stable isotope analysis

Larson, Michele D.; Black, A. Ross

doi:10.1007/s10750-015-2369-z

Cited by 21 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…However, we assume that this species can afford dietary specialization, resulting in the small trophic niche, as it is capable of outcompeting weaker competitors. There is some evidence in the literature that interspecific competition may influence trophic niche, particularly shift dietary items, expand diet breadth, and reduce grazing of a weaker competitor if snail species share similar food resources (Brown, 1982; Long et al ., 2007; Larson & Black, 2016). Alternatively, this species could be preying on many other snails as A. nitidula is known to use malacophagy as part of its diet (Mordan, 1977).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stable isotope analysis suggests low trophic niche partitioning among co‐occurring land snail species in a floodplain forest

et al. 2021

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Land snails are abundant invertebrates in many terrestrial ecosystems, playing an essential role in food webs and nutrient cycling. Although snails are commonly considered general grazers with a strong tendency to omnivory, their foraging strategy is well documented only for a few species. Virtually no data exist on trophic niche partitioning within snail assemblages. To fill this gap, we analyzed naturally occurring stable isotope (δ13C, δ15N), an approach widely applied in ecological research, but only rarely in terrestrial snail studies. We collected ten individuals of the dominant co‐occurring land snails (i.e., Aegopinella nitidula, Fruticicola fruticum, Oxyloma elegans, Succinea putris, Trochulus villosulus and Zonitoides nitidus) in a floodplain forest floor, along with their potential food sources and other invertebrates. All species, except for A. nitidula, showed high intraspecific variation in isotope signatures, indicating their opportunistic feeding behavior. Such a high intraspecific variation combined with the active movement range of all the species allows switching between food sources based on their accessibility. We observed that the trophic niches of the studied species highly overlapped, except for Z. nitidus. This suggests that trophic niche compartmentalization among co‐occurring species does not seem to be the mechanism to avoid competition for food. Virtually unlimited resources for snail food are assumed to explain the coexistence of many species in high‐density populations. Our results add to this concept of assembly rules in snail species by the finding of highly variable and overlapping trophic niches among the majority of the studied species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stable isotope analysis suggests low trophic niche partitioning among co‐occurring land snail species in a floodplain forest

et al. 2021

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“…In addition, a shift in nutrient fluxes such as carbon or phosphorus caused by high density populations of mud snails could have a large influence on primary production rates that can affect native grazers and ecosystem functions ( Tibbets et al, 2010 ). Grazing trials conducted with mud snails and native grazers concluded that mud snails were more efficient grazers ( Larson & Black, 2016 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Ponce

Arisméndi

Thomas

2021

PeerJ

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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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“…Once it reaches the new region, it can colonize and adapt to a wide range of habitats: estuaries [ 14 , 15 ], lakes [ 19 ], rivers [ 20 ], saltwater [ 21 ] and even open seas [ 22 ]. This mud snail competes with native invertebrates for resources in invaded habitats dominating the invertebrate communities [ 16 , 23 ]. For example, it has caused the decrease of Pyrgulopsis robusta population in USA [ 24 ] and the decline of native benthos density and diversity in Poland [ 25 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Easy Phylogenetically Informative Method to Trace the Globally Invasive Potamopyrgus Mud Snail from River’s eDNA

et al. 2016

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Potamopyrgus antipodarum (New Zealand mud snail) is a prosobranch mollusk native to New Zealand with a wide invasive distribution range. Its non-indigenous populations are reported from Australia, Asia, Europe and North America. Being an extremely tolerant species, Potamopyrgus is capable to survive in a great range of salinity and temperature conditions, which explains its high invasiveness and successful spread outside the native range. Here we report the first finding of Potamopyrgus antipodarum in a basin of the Cantabrian corridor in North Iberia (Bay of Biscay, Spain). Two haplotypes already described in Europe were found in different sectors of River Nora (Nalon basin), suggesting the secondary introductions from earlier established invasive populations. To enhance the surveillance of the species and tracking its further spread in the region, we developed a specific set of primers for the genus Potamopyrgus that amplify a fragment of 16S rDNA. The sequences obtained from PCR on DNA extracted from tissue and water samples (environmental DNA, eDNA) were identical in each location, suggesting clonal reproduction of the introduced individuals. Multiple introduction events from different source populations were inferred from our sequence data. The eDNA tool developed here can serve for tracing New Zealand mud snail populations outside its native range, and for inventorying mud snail population assemblages in the native settings if high throughput sequencing methodologies are employed.

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Assessing interactions among native snails and the invasive New Zealand mud snail, Potamopyrgus antipodarum, using grazing experiments and stable isotope analysis

Cited by 21 publications

References 31 publications

Stable isotope analysis suggests low trophic niche partitioning among co‐occurring land snail species in a floodplain forest

Stable isotope analysis suggests low trophic niche partitioning among co‐occurring land snail species in a floodplain forest

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

An Easy Phylogenetically Informative Method to Trace the Globally Invasive Potamopyrgus Mud Snail from River’s eDNA

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