MSGID: 1:317/3 64a79535   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Asian clams' spread in Columbia River warns of worse invaders    
      
     Date:   
         July 6, 2023   
     Source:   
         Washington State University   
     Summary:   
         The invasive Asian clam is more common in the lower Columbia River   
         than its native habitat of southeast Asia, according to a study   
         of the clam's abundance in the river. The findings don't bode well   
         for potential future invasions by the even more destructive quagga   
         and zebra mussels. So far, the Columbia is one of the only major   
         U.S. rivers to remain free of these notorious ecology-destroying,   
         equipment-clogging bivalves.   
      
      
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   The invasive Asian clam is more common in the lower Columbia River than   
   its native habitat of southeast Asia, according to a study of the clam's   
   abundance in the river.   
      
   The findings don't bode well for potential future invasions by the   
   even more destructive quagga and zebra mussels. So far, the Columbia   
   is one of the only major U.S. rivers to remain free of these notorious   
   ecology-destroying, equipment-clogging bivalves.   
      
   To understand how new invaders might spread, a Washington State   
   University-led team studied the existing invasive Asian clams hoping to   
   see what might limit them. Unfortunately, the answer was -- not much.   
      
   "What struck me was just the sheer variety of habitats that Asian clams   
   were able to settle down in and survive," said Salvador Robb-Chavez, a   
   recent WSU master's degree graduate and the study's lead author. "We found   
   evidence of their presence just about everywhere in the lower Columbia   
   River."  For this study, published in journal International Review of   
   Hydrobiology, the researchers sampled 27 sites along 481 kilometers   
   (about 299 miles) of the river, stretching from the ocean to Richland,   
   Washington. They found Asian clams were able to live at a variety of   
   temperatures, water quality and substrates, such as silt, sand or rock.   
      
   The team did find greater abundance of Asian clams below the Bonneville   
   Dam than above it, and their greatest concentration, about 430 individual   
   clams per meter, was found at the Sandy River confluence in Gresham,   
   Oregon. The clams tended to be more prevalent in warmer waters and   
   where slope of the bank or stream bed was less steep or more sandy,   
   but few habitats were entirely devoid of Asian clams.   
      
   Considered global invaders, Asian clams have been found on almost every   
   continent. The Pacific Northwest was one of the first places they landed   
   in the U.S., arriving in the Columbia River around 1938, possibly released   
   when a ship dumped its ballast water.   
      
   It takes just one Asian clam to start an invasion, since they   
   self-fertilize.   
      
   The Asian clams have disrupted the Columbia River food webs by eating   
   up plankton that native mussels and salmon prey also need. They cause   
   not only ecological but economic damage as well since they send plumes   
   of larvae with mucus secretions that can clog up aquatic infrastructure.   
      
   While currently the Columbia River has a concerning Asian clam population,   
   other places have even more, including East Coast rivers and Lake Tahoe   
   in California, Robb-Chavez said.   
      
   And as bad as Asian clams can be, quagga and zebra mussels are   
   worse. While they don't self-fertilize, these bivalves still reproduce   
   extremely rapidly.   
      
   For example, a female zebra mussel can release as many as 40,000 eggs   
   up to four times a year. They have already caused millions of dollars   
   in damage in the Great Lakes, by clogging water intakes and threatening   
   native ecosystems.   
      
   The Columbia River has so far avoided an invasion from these mollusks   
   which originally hail from Russia and Ukraine, but as a recent scare   
   of zebra mussel- infested moss balls sold for fish tanks shows, it will   
   require vigilance to keep the river clear of them.   
      
   "Humans are often responsible for spreading invasive species," said   
   Robb- Chavez. "If you're a boater, make sure that you clean out your   
   hull, hold and trailer, according to Department of Fish and Wildlife   
   guidelines. If you keep fish as pets, be careful you're not accidentally   
   importing species with items you use in your tank, and be careful where   
   you throw things away."  In addition to Robb-Chavez, co-authors on   
   this study include his advising professor Stephen Bollens and Gretchen   
   Rollwagen-Bollens of WSU Vancouver as well as Timothy Counihan of the   
   U.S.G.S. This research received support from the Washington State Lake   
   Protection Association.   
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Salvador B. Robb‐Chavez, Stephen M. Bollens, Gretchen   
         Rollwagen‐Bollens, Timothy D. Counihan. Broadscale   
         distribution, abundance, and habitat associations of the invasive   
         Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) in the lower Columbia River,   
         USA. International Review of Hydrobiology, 2023; 107 (5-6): 179   
         DOI: 10.1002/iroh.202202134   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230706124606.htm   
      
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