|
|
|
Karatayev, A.Y., L.E. Burlakova, T. Kesterson, and D.K. Padilla, 2003. Dominance of the Asiatic Clam, Corbicula fluminea (Muller), in the Benthic Community of a Reservoir, Stephen F. Austin State University. Reprinted with permission from Journal of Shellfish Research (2003) 22(2): 487-493 Dominance of the Asiatic Clam, Corbicula fluminea (Muller), in the Benthic Community of a ReservoirCorbicula fluminea dominated the benthic community of Lake Nacogdoches, East Texas, composing 97% of the total biomass of benthic invertebrates. C. fluminea appears to be restricted to the littoral zone. Lower depths have lower oxygen, especially during the stratified period, which may restrict the distribution of C. fluminea. C. fluminea was found only down to a depth of 4 in and had and extremely patchy distribution. The greatest density within a patch was found at 1 m depth (35.8 +/- 13.8 m(-2)) and the greatest biomass within a single patch was at 2 m (137.17 +/- 69.21 g.m(-2)). C. fluminea density differed significantly among substrate types. The maximum density (43 +/- 14 m(-2)) was found in sediments with dead C. fluminea shells and course detritus, and the lowest density (3.6 +/- 3.6 m(-2)) was found in silt. The spatial distributions of C.fluminea and three species of unionids were similar both in depth and across substrates in the reservoir. We found no correlation between the densities of C. fluminea and other benthic invertebrates. Finally, we contrasted the effect of C. fluminea on benthic communities to what is known about the impacts of another invasive bivalve, the zebra mussel. Entire Paper |