Asian clams' spread in Columbia River warns of worse invaders

Date:
July 6, 2023
Source:
Washington State University
Summary:
The invasive Asian clam is more common in the lower Columbia River
than its native habitat of southeast Asia, according to a study
of the clam's abundance in the river. The findings don't bode well
for potential future invasions by the even more destructive quagga
and zebra mussels. So far, the Columbia is one of the only major
U.S. rivers to remain free of these notorious ecology-destroying,
equipment-clogging bivalves.


Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email

==========================================================================
FULL STORY ==========================================================================
The invasive Asian clam is more common in the lower Columbia River than
its native habitat of southeast Asia, according to a study of the clam's abundance in the river.

The findings don't bode well for potential future invasions by the
even more destructive quagga and zebra mussels. So far, the Columbia
is one of the only major U.S. rivers to remain free of these notorious ecology-destroying, equipment-clogging bivalves.

To understand how new invaders might spread, a Washington State
University-led team studied the existing invasive Asian clams hoping to
see what might limit them. Unfortunately, the answer was -- not much.

"What struck me was just the sheer variety of habitats that Asian clams
were able to settle down in and survive," said Salvador Robb-Chavez, a
recent WSU master's degree graduate and the study's lead author. "We found evidence of their presence just about everywhere in the lower Columbia
River." For this study, published in journal International Review of Hydrobiology, the researchers sampled 27 sites along 481 kilometers
(about 299 miles) of the river, stretching from the ocean to Richland, Washington. They found Asian clams were able to live at a variety of temperatures, water quality and substrates, such as silt, sand or rock.

The team did find greater abundance of Asian clams below the Bonneville
Dam than above it, and their greatest concentration, about 430 individual
clams per meter, was found at the Sandy River confluence in Gresham,
Oregon. The clams tended to be more prevalent in warmer waters and
where slope of the bank or stream bed was less steep or more sandy,
but few habitats were entirely devoid of Asian clams.

Considered global invaders, Asian clams have been found on almost every continent. The Pacific Northwest was one of the first places they landed
in the U.S., arriving in the Columbia River around 1938, possibly released
when a ship dumped its ballast water.

It takes just one Asian clam to start an invasion, since they
self-fertilize.

The Asian clams have disrupted the Columbia River food webs by eating
up plankton that native mussels and salmon prey also need. They cause
not only ecological but economic damage as well since they send plumes
of larvae with mucus secretions that can clog up aquatic infrastructure.

While currently the Columbia River has a concerning Asian clam population, other places have even more, including East Coast rivers and Lake Tahoe
in California, Robb-Chavez said.

And as bad as Asian clams can be, quagga and zebra mussels are
worse. While they don't self-fertilize, these bivalves still reproduce extremely rapidly.

For example, a female zebra mussel can release as many as 40,000 eggs
up to four times a year. They have already caused millions of dollars
in damage in the Great Lakes, by clogging water intakes and threatening
native ecosystems.

The Columbia River has so far avoided an invasion from these mollusks
which originally hail from Russia and Ukraine, but as a recent scare
of zebra mussel- infested moss balls sold for fish tanks shows, it will
require vigilance to keep the river clear of them.

"Humans are often responsible for spreading invasive species," said
Robb- Chavez. "If you're a boater, make sure that you clean out your
hull, hold and trailer, according to Department of Fish and Wildlife guidelines. If you keep fish as pets, be careful you're not accidentally importing species with items you use in your tank, and be careful where
you throw things away." In addition to Robb-Chavez, co-authors on
this study include his advising professor Stephen Bollens and Gretchen Rollwagen-Bollens of WSU Vancouver as well as Timothy Counihan of the
U.S.G.S. This research received support from the Washington State Lake Protection Association.

* RELATED_TOPICS
o Plants_&_Animals
# Invasive_Species # Marine_Biology # Endangered_Animals
# Fish
o Earth_&_Climate
# Exotic_Species # Water # Ecology # Floods
* RELATED_TERMS
o Zebra_mussel o River o Giant_clam o Invasive_species o Salmon
o Ecology o Mountain_Zebra o Estuary

==========================================================================

Print

Email

Share ========================================================================== ****** 1 ****** ***** 2 ***** **** 3 ****
*** 4 *** ** 5 ** Breaking this hour ==========================================================================
* First_Snapshots_of_Fermion_Pairs *
Why_No_Kangaroos_in_Bali;_No_Tigers_in_Australia
* New_Route_for_Treating_Cancer:_Chromosomes *
Giant_Stone_Artefacts_Found:_Prehistoric_Tools
* Astonishing_Secrets_of_Tunicate_Origins *
Most_Distant_Active_Supermassive_Black_Hole *
Creative_People_Enjoy_Idle_Time_More_Than_Others
* Restoring_Fragile_X_Protein_Production *
Earth's_Solid_Metal_Sphere_Is_'Textured' *
Elephants_Vary_Their_Dinner_Menu_Day-To-Day

Trending Topics this week ========================================================================== PLANTS_&_ANIMALS Biochemistry_Research Insects_(including_Butterflies) Wild_Animals EARTH_&_CLIMATE Air_Pollution Ice_Ages Pollution
FOSSILS_&_RUINS Ancient_Civilizations Cultures Early_Climate


==========================================================================

Strange & Offbeat ========================================================================== PLANTS_&_ANIMALS Why_There_Are_No_Kangaroos_in_Bali_(and_No_Tigers_in_Australia) Number_Cruncher_Calculates_Whether_Whales_Are_Acting_Weirdly Fossils_Reveal_How_Ancient_Birds_Molted_Their_Feathers_--_Which_Could_Help Explain_Why_Ancestors_of_Modern_Birds_Survived_When_All_the_Other_Dinosaurs Died EARTH_&_CLIMATE Why_There_Are_No_Kangaroos_in_Bali_(and_No_Tigers_in_Australia) Turning_Old_Maps_Into_3D_Digital_Models_of_Lost_Neighborhoods Squash_Bugs_Are_Attracted_to_and_Eat_Each_Other's_Poop_to_Stock_Their Microbiome FOSSILS_&_RUINS Giant_Stone_Artefacts_Found_on_Rare_Ice_Age_Site_in_Kent,_UK How_Urea_May_Have_Been_the_Gateway_to_Life Newly_Discovered_Jurassic_Fossils_in_Texas Story Source: Materials
provided by Washington_State_University. Original written by Sara
Zaske. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Salvador B. Robb‐Chavez, Stephen M. Bollens, Gretchen
Rollwagen‐Bollens, Timothy D. Counihan. Broadscale
distribution, abundance, and habitat associations of the invasive
Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) in the lower Columbia River,
USA. International Review of Hydrobiology, 2023; 107 (5-6): 179
DOI: 10.1002/iroh.202202134 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230706124606.htm

--- up 1 year, 18 weeks, 3 days, 10 hours, 50 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)