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Differential effect of wave stress on the physiology and behaviour of native versus non-native benthic invertebrates

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Abstract

In fresh waters, non-native invertebrate species preferentially spread via navigation waterways, where they often dominate assemblages. Littoral habitats in navigation waterways are regularly exposed to ship-induced waves. We conducted experiments to test the effects of artificial wave exposure on the relative performance of wide-spread native and non-native species. We compared physiological and behavioural response variables (i.e. growth rate, glycogen content, feeding and swimming activity) of two amphipods (native Gammarus roeselii and non-native Dikerogammarus villosus) and two gastropods (native Bithynia tentaculata and non-native Physella acuta) subject to wave and control (i.e. no wave) treatment flumes across a 6-week period. Growth, and in part glycogen content (as a measure of energy storage), were significantly reduced after exposure to waves in native invertebrates, but not in non-native invertebrates. The reduction in growth may be associated with the disturbance effects of waves, such as the higher swimming activity of G. roeselii and lower food uptake of B. tentaculata. In comparison, the effective hiding behaviour observed for D. villosus and good swimming ability of P. acuta, were identified as important traits facilitating the successful colonisation of the harsh habitat conditions of littoral waterways. Our study demonstrates that artificial wave regimes may contribute significant selective pressure, thus explaining the observed dominance of non-native species in navigational waterways. The success of non-native species under the harsh hydraulic habitat conditions of these socio-economically driven ecosystems may consequently be traced directly to behavioural and/or physiological traits.

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Acknowledgments

We thank T. Hintze, R. Hölzel and B. Schütze for technical support, and M. Mährlein, C. Sempf and J. Schreiber for help in running the experiments. We thank T. Mehner and the participants of the course on Scientific Writing at IGB for helpful discussion on an earlier draft of this article, S. Wittsack for the sketch of the wave flume and K. Pohlmann for statistical advice. The study was funded by scholarships of the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) and the Foundation Ursula Merz.

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  1. Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 301, 12587, Berlin, Germany

    Friederike Gabel, Martin T. Pusch, Philippa Breyer, Vanessa Burmester, Norbert Walz & Xavier-François Garcia

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  1. Friederike Gabel
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  2. Martin T. Pusch
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Correspondence to Friederike Gabel.

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Gabel, F., Pusch, M.T., Breyer, P. et al. Differential effect of wave stress on the physiology and behaviour of native versus non-native benthic invertebrates. Biol Invasions 13, 1843–1853 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-011-0003-1

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