Invasive Asian clams (Corbicula fluminea) recorded from 2001 to 2016 in Massachusetts, USA

Abstract

Experimental studies evaluating the effects of food availability on the movement of free-ranging animals generally involve food supplementation rather than suppression. Both approaches can yield similar insights, but we were interested in the potential for using food suppression for the management and control of invasive predators, in particular, the brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) on Guam. However, understanding a species' response to food resources is critical before employing such a strategy. We studied the movements of 24 radio-tagged B. irregularis initially caught within four 4-ha unfenced plots in rodent-abundant (control) and rodent-suppressed (treatment) grassland habitats over a 40-day period. Because monitoring duration differed among snakes, we also analyzed short-term (16-day) activity areas. Over the 16 days, snakes associated with rodent-suppressed plots had 86% larger activity areas (ha), 94% greater dispersal distances (m), and 43% greater movement rates (m/h) than snakes associated with control plots. Boiga irregularis moved extensively, but these movements were not always reflected in the size of the snake's total activity area. Movement rates did not differ between sexes, but snakes in above-average body condition moved greater distances per hour than those in below-average condition irrespective of treatment. Our study indicates that a relatively small prey suppression effort can cause almost immediate and significant changes in B. irregularis movement. On Guam, prey suppression might enhance control efforts by either increasing trap capture success or discouraging snakes from entering areas of conservation or management concern. However, the outcome of using prey suppression as a control tool in areas threatened with the accidental introduction of the brown treesnake is more difficult to predict and might have negative consequences such as elevated dispersal rates.

Steam and Flame Applications as Novel Methods of Population Control for Invasive Asian Clam (Corbicula fluminea) and Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha)

“…Accordingly, a mosaic of freshwater environments are susceptible to the introduction and establishment of these invasive bivalves, which can subsequently act as new source locations that facilitate further spread (Sousa et al 2014 ; Karatayev et al 2015 ). Therefore, there remains an urgent need to develop and validate a suite of tools for rapid population control and eradication of emerging and existing populations (Colwell et al 2017 ; Coughlan et al 2018b , 2019b ). To date, although extensive population-control experiments have been conducted on both C. fluminea (Wittmann et al 2012a , b ; Sheehan et al 2014 ) and D. polymorpha (Luoma et al 2018 ), none of them have been successful in providing substantial long-term management of these invaders.…”

Preliminary Assessment of Corbicula fluminea in Saiburi River, Southern Thailand

“…Chase et al (2017) mentioned that, this clams preferred a habitat with fine or coarse sand substrates rather than mud or bare concrete. Colwell et al (2017) also found that substrates influence the distribution of this clam. C. fluminea grow up with the ability to efficiently meet their metabolic needs by collecting food from their substrates (Noreña et al, 2015).…”

Effect of paraquat on the growth of Ceratophyllum demersum L.

“…One of plants of the family, Ceratophyllaceae, it is considered one of the important aquatic plants, which is classified among the submerged aquatic plants [1]. There are four species of the genus Ceratophyllum , but the most prevalent is the type Ceratophyllum demersum, and spread in Asian regions such as China, Japan, Iraq, Egypt and Vietnam, as for the rest of the species, they are found in the United States of America, such as the type C. echinatum, and it is found in northwest America, while the type C. maricatum spreads in large areas in the states of Florida and northern California [2,3,4].…”