Salinity Tolerance in Different Life History Stages of an Invasive False Mussel Mytilopsis Sallei Recluz, 1849: Implications for Its Restricted Distribution
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Molluscan Research ISSN: 1323-5818 (Print) 1448-6067 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tmos20 Salinity tolerance in different life history stages of an invasive false mussel Mytilopsis sallei Recluz, 1849: implications for its restricted distribution Suebpong Sa-Nguansil & Kringpaka Wangkulangkul To cite this article: Suebpong Sa-Nguansil & Kringpaka Wangkulangkul (2020): Salinity tolerance in different life history stages of an invasive false mussel Mytilopsissallei Recluz, 1849: implications for its restricted distribution, Molluscan Research, DOI: 10.1080/13235818.2020.1753902 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/13235818.2020.1753902 Published online: 20 Apr 2020. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 2 View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=tmos20 MOLLUSCAN RESEARCH https://doi.org/10.1080/13235818.2020.1753902 Salinity tolerance in different life history stages of an invasive false mussel Mytilopsis sallei Recluz, 1849: implications for its restricted distribution Suebpong Sa-Nguansila and Kringpaka Wangkulangkulb aDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Science, Thaksin University, Phatthalung, Thailand; bCoastal Ecology Lab, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY Although the false mussel Mytilopsis sallei Recluz, 1849 is recognised as an aggressive invasive Received 12 June 2019 species, its populations in several estuaries in Thailand are restricted to small areas. A salinity Final version received 3 April gradient is a major characteristic of its habitat, hence the effect of various salinity levels (0– 2020 40 ppt) on the mortality of larvae, juveniles and adults of M. sallei was investigated. ff KEYWORDS Condition Indices of adults reared at di erent salinity levels for two months were measured. Condition index; invasion; Spatial and temporal variations of salinity and false mussel abundance in a canal with a invasive species; larva salinity gradient were also monitored. After an acute (48 h) test, survival of larvae was highest at salinity levels of 12.5 and 16.25 ppt and decreased at lower and higher levels. Juveniles survived at all salinity levels, but most adults died in the first 24 h at a salinity of 40 ppt, while condition indices were lowest at salinity levels of 30 and 35 ppt. In the field survey, highest false mussel abundance was consistently found at the middle part of the canal with mid-range salinity. The results suggested that salinity is a determinant of survival in M. sallei larvae and potentially regulates the dispersal success of false mussels. However, the importance of salinity was marginal in the later stages of its life history. Introduction Indo-Pacific region since the nineteenth century (Tan and Tay 2018). This false mussel exhibits high tolerance For aquatic species, not only land masses, but also to extreme and wide-ranging physical conditions, for unfavourable water quality conditions are dispersal example extreme salinity and petroleum hydrocarbon barriers that determine their biogeographic distri- contamination (Raju et al. 1975; Mohan and Prakash butions (Lockwood and Somero 2011; van der Gaag 1998). At locations where the false mussel is present et al. 2016). Salinity is one of the key environmental it usually dominates the local benthic communities. factors influencing survival, growth, activity and physi- At very high density its populations can change soft ology of marine organisms (Vernberg and Vernberg bottom into hard bottom habitat; as well as having 1972). Maintaining cell volume and normal physiologi- the potential to cause economic damage by destroying cal functioning in unfavourable salinity condition submerged man-made structures (Wangkulangkul and increases energy demand and also drives a reduction Lheknim 2008; Cai et al. 2014; Tan and Tay 2018). in their activity and energy acquisition (Berger and Although M. sallei is recognised as an aggressive Kharazova 1997). Knowledge of salinity tolerance, space occupier that has a potential to monopolise therefore, increases the understanding of marine infected areas and a wide distribution range might species’ dispersal and establishment capacities. be expected (Wangkulangkul and Lheknim 2008; Tan Several species of false mussels belonging to the and Tay 2018), many populations have restricted distri- family Dreissenidae, for example the well-known butions, in that false mussels have never been found zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771), outside the areas where they were first observed quagga mussel Dreissena bugensis Andrusov, 1897, (Salgado-Barragán and Toledano-Granados 2006; Astu- and Conrad’s false mussel Mytilopsis leucophaeata dillo et al. 2014; Wells 2019). In Thailand, the establish- (Conrad, 1831), have been introduced and become ment of M. sallei populations was first reported from invasive in many countries on almost every continent estuaries and lagoons along the south of the Gulf of (Mackie and Schloesser 1996; Willan et al. 2000; Ther- Thailand in 2008 (Wangkulangkul and Lheknim 2008). riault et al. 2004). Mytilopsis sallei Recluz, 1849 is a In that report, the species was identified as Mytilopsis brackish water dreissenid, originally described from adamsi Morrison, 1946, however recent genetic analy- Guatemala and the Dominican Republic in the Bay of sis suggests that false mussels from the populations Mexico (Marelli and Gray 1983). It has invaded estu- established in Thailand belong to M. sallei (Wangku- aries, lagoons and marinas of many countries in the langkul and Klangnurak, in preparation). Recent CONTACT Kringpaka Wangkulangkul [email protected] Coastal Ecology Lab, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90110, Thailand © 2020 The Malacological Society of Australasia and the Society for the Study of Molluscan Diversity Published online 20 Apr 2020 2 S. SA-NGUANSIL AND K. WANGKULANGKUL observations revealed that these populations do not phase, with hard mytiliform shells. Alien aquatic take over the entire estuaries or brackish parts of species anthropogenically introduced into a new lagoons, although the habitat seems suitable and habitat usually confront a sudden change in environ- there has been a considerable amount of time for mental conditions (van der Gaag et al. 2016). Moreover, them to disperse since they were first observed. Wang- abrupt increases and decreases in salinity in the kulangkul (2018) made a survey in the Songkhla Songkhla Lagoon System have been recorded (per- Lagoon System, the largest coastal lagoon system in sonal observation). Therefore, standardised acute Thailand, and found that false mussel colonies were (48 h) tests on larvae, juveniles and adults of M. sallei present only within several of the rivers that are con- exposed to nine levels of salinity (0–40 ppt) following nected to the Thale Sap Songkhla Lake, the southern- ASTM (1999) were planned. Mussels were not acclimat- most part of the lagoon system, which is connected ised to lab conditions before conducting the tests. It to the sea. Interestingly, they were not found within was found in preliminary experiments (three rep- the lake itself. Hydrodynamics in the lake are governed etitions) that all planktonic larvae died after 48 h by freshwater discharges and tidal actions. Seasonal exposure to different salinities and the mortality rate fluctuation of salinity in this lake is substantial, could not be measured. We then decided to stop the ranging from freshwater to fully saline (Angsupanich experiment on planktonic larvae after 24 h exposure. and Kuwabara 1995; Wangkulangkul 2018). These The 48 h test on juveniles revealed that they tolerate physical attributes of the lake, especially salinity, may a very wide range of salinity (only one individual limit the migratory ability of the larvae which is the died, at 0 ppt), therefore the effects on adult mortality most vulnerable stage of bivalves (Bayne 1965; of long-term exposure (two months) to different sali- Verween et al. 2007). It was hypothesised that larvae nities were evaluated instead of conducting an acute or newly recruited false mussels are killed by high sal- test. Condition indices of adult M. sallei reared for two inity (∼35 ppt) in the lake during the dry season, months at different salinities were also measured. The restricting the mussels to rivers where salinity is gener- condition index (CI) relates the amount of shell to the ally lower (Wangkulangkul 2018). quantity of living tissue in bivalves. It has been used Experiments on the vulnerability of M. sallei to both in scientific research and commercial practice different salinities were conducted by Raju et al. (Davenport and Chen 1987). It is a useful indicator of (1975) and Nguyen and Tan (2011). They suggested the nutritional status and reflects the physiological that the false mussels exhibited a wide tolerance to performance of bivalves (Irisarri et al. 2015). In addition, different salinities including freshwater and hypersaline seasonal and spatial changes in salinity and M. sallei conditions (salinity 0–40 ppt). Trochophore and veliger abundance in a canal with a strong salinity larvae were observed in salinities ranging from 0 to gradient were monitored for over a year to examine 25 ppt (Raju et al. 1975). This provided baseline infor- the possible effect of this factor on the false mussels mation for