Temporal Dynamics of Biological Invasions: Perception of Host Quality Differs Between Native and Alien Host Species.

ABSTRACT: The spread of non-native species into new regions is a dynamic process driven by behavioural adaptations to local environments and species interactions. Interactions between coexisting populations can lead to localised coevolutionary patterns, shaped by the duration of their co-occurrence. We investigated the relationship between the European bitterling fish (Rhodeus amarus), a parasitic fish that lays eggs in the gills of unionid mussels, and an invasive mussel host, Sinanodonta woodiana, which has spread across Europe over the past 50 years. The bitterling, a host generalist, can parasitise any European unionid mussel species, but its reproductive success with S. woodiana is limited due to the mussel's ability to reject bitterling eggs. We tested three hypotheses on

SUBMITTER: Halabowski D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12497942 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature