Zebra mussel beds: an effective feeding ground for Ponto-Caspian gobies or suitable shelter for their prey?

ABSTRACT: Aggregations of the Ponto-Caspian invasive zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) constitute a suitable habitat for macroinvertebrates, considerably increasing their abundance and providing effective antipredator protection. Thus, the overall effect of a mussel bed on particular predator species may vary from positive to negative, depending on both prey density increase and predator ability to prey in a structurally complex habitat. Alien Ponto-Caspian goby fish are likely to be facilitated when introduced into new areas by zebra mussels, provided that they are capable of utilizing mussel beds as habitat and feeding grounds. We ran laboratory experiments to find which prey (chironomid larvae) densities (from ca. 500 to 2,000 individuals m^-2) in a mussel bed make it a more be

SUBMITTER: Kobak J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5119280 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature