New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect...

28
New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, Reproduction after Digestion by Fish, and Update on Range within Utah Randy Oplinger and Eric Wagner Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Fisheries Experiment Station 1465 West 200 North Logan, UT 84321 July 2016 Publication Number 16-13 Gregory Sheehan, Director

Transcript of New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect...

Page 1: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

NewZealandMudsnails:EffectsonNativeHydrobiidSpecies,ReproductionafterDigestionbyFish,andUpdateonRangewithinUtah

RandyOplingerandEricWagner

UtahDivisionofWildlifeResourcesFisheriesExperimentStation

1465West200NorthLogan,UT84321

July2016PublicationNumber16-13GregorySheehan,Director

Page 2: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

2

TableofContentsExecutiveSummary.....................................................................................................................................3

Task1:EffectoftheInvasiveNewZealandMudsnailontheBehaviorofTwoNativeSnails......................4

Task2:EffectoftheInvasiveNewZealandMudsnailontheRecruitmentandSurvivalofTwoNativeSnails..........................................................................................................................................................16

Task3:RecruitmentPotentialAmongNewZealandMudSnailsthatSurviveFishDigestion...................22

Task4:UpdateoftheRangeofNZMSwithinUtah...................................................................................27

Page 3: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

3

ExecutiveSummary

Weworkedonfourtasksthatwereintendedto:a)improveourunderstandingoftheeffectsthatinvasiveNewZealandmudsnails(NZMS)haveonnativesnails,b)determinewhetherNZMSthatsurvivepassagethroughfishdigestivetractscanreproduce,andc)updateourunderstandingonthedistributionofNZMSwithinUtah.

Inthefirsttask,wedeterminedtheeffectthatNZMShadonthebehavioroftwonativehydrobiidsnailspecies;theToquervillespringsnailPyrgulopsiskolobensisandthemudamnicolaAmnicolalimosus.Toaccomplishthis,weestablishedtestarenathatcontainedvariousdensitiesofthenativesnailsandNZMS.WevideorecordedthemovementsofthesnailsandcomparedmovementsofthenativesnailsbothbeforeandaftertheadditionofNZMStothearena.WefoundthattheadditionofNZMSdidnotaffectthenetdistancethatthenativesnailsmovedduringthetrials.ThedistanceseparatingthenativesnailsfromconspecificsdidnotchangewhenNZMSwereadded.Thenativesnails,however,tendedtospendmorecumulativetimeclosertoconspecificsthantoNZMSandthistendencytobeclosertoaconspecificincreasedasthenumberofNZMSwithinthetestarenaincreased.

Inthesecondtask,weevaluatedtheeffectsofNZMSonthesurvivalandrecruitmentofthesametwonativehydrobiidspeciesevaluatedinthefirsttask.WefoundthatthepresenceofNZMShadnoinfluenceonthesurvivalofthenativespecies.NewZealandmudsnailsproducedmorerecruitsandahighernumberofrecruits/adultthanthenativespecies.ThisresearchdemonstratesthatthehighinvasionratesofNZMScanatleastbepartiallyexplainedbytheirhighrecruitmentrates.

Inthenexttask,wefedNZMStorainbowtroutfromtwosizeclasses(averagetotallength141and207mm,respectively).ThesurvivingNZMSwereharvestedandtheneonateproductionamongthesesnailswasevaluated.WefoundneonateproductionamongNZMSthatweredigestedbybothsizeclassesoffish.TheresultsindicatethatNZMSthatsurvivedigestionarenotsocompromisedthattheycanreproduce.ThisshowsthatextremecautionshouldbetakenwhenstockingfishfromhatcheriesthatcontainNZMS.

Inthefinaltask,wesurveyedPosey,WideHollow,UpperBoxCreek,andLowerBoxCreekReservoirsforNZMSanddidnotfindthesnailinanyofthesereservoirs.WepresentanupdatedmapshowingthedistributionofNZMSwithinUtah.

Page 4: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

4

Task1:EffectoftheInvasiveNewZealandMudsnailontheBehaviorofTwoNativeSnails

Background

NewZealandmudsnails(NZMS)Potamopyrgusantipodarumareanexampleofasuccessfulinvasivespecies(AlonsoandCastro-Diez2008).Onceestablished,NZMScanbecomeadominantcomponentofaninvertebratecommunityandconsequently,NZMShavetheabilitytonegativelyaffectothertaxa.Forexample,severalstudieshavefoundthatthegrowthratesofothersnailtaxaaresuppressedinthepresenceofNZMS(KristandDybdahl2005;RileyandDybdahl2015).Rileyetal.(2008)foundthatNZMSlimitedthegrowthofthenativesnailPyrgulopsisrobustaandthatthenativesnailfacilitatedthegrowthofNZMS.StudieshavealsofoundtheabundanceofotherinvertebratetaxatocovarywithNZMSabundance(Keransetal.2005;Mooreetal.2012).Finally,NZMShavebeenshowntoalterthebehaviorofotherspecies.Forexample,Keransetal.(2005)foundthatotherspeciesofmacroinvertebrateswerelessabundantontilesthatwereheavilycolonizedbyNZMS.Keransetal.(2010)foundthatNZMSinterferedwiththeforagingofmayfliesinthefamilyBaetidaebutthatthecaddisflyBrachycentrusoccidentaliscausedNZMStoabandonthesurfacesoftiles.ThepresenceofNZMShasalsobeenassociatedwithshiftsinfeedingpreferencesintheisopodAsellusaquaticus(Aberleetal.2005)andbaetidmayflies(Keransetal.2010).

NewZealandmudsnailsaremembersofthesnailfamilyHydrobiidae,whichisthelargestfreshwatermolluskgroupwithmorethan1,000species(HershlerandPonder1998).Manyspecieswithinthefamilyhavespecifichabitatrequirements,limitedranges,andaresensitivetohabitatalteration(HershlerandPonder1998).Consequently,manyhydrobiidspeciesareconsideredthreatenedorendangered(e.g.,BlissRapidssnailTaylorconchaserpenticola;Richards2004).TheeffectsthatNZMShaveonotherhydrobiidtaxaarepoorlyunderstoodbutsimilaritiesinbodysize,habitat,andlife-historyrequirementswouldsuggestthatNZMScouldhavestrongercompetitiveeffectsonotherhydrobiidspeciesthanotherinvertebratetaxa.

ThegoalsofourresearchweretoassesshowNZMSaffectthebehavioroftwootherhydrobiidspecies,theToquervillespringsnailPyrgulopsiskolobensisandmudamnicolaAmnicolalimosus,bothofwhicharenativetotheUnitedStates.TodothisweplacedP.kolobensisorA.limosusalongwithvaryingdensitiesofNZMSwithinPetridishesandvideotapedtheinteractionsamongthesnails.WedeterminedhowNZMSaffectedthemovementofthenativesnailsandwhetherthenativesnailspreferredtocongregatenearconspecificsoverNZMS.WehypothesizethatthepresenceofNZMSwouldreducethemovementofnativesnailsandforcenativesnailstocongregatewithconspecifics.

Methods

SnailCollectionandMaintenance

Pyrgulopsiskolobensis,A.limosus,andNZMSwerecollectedinthefieldandtransportedtotheUtahDivisionofWildlifeResource'sFisheriesExperimentStation(FES;CacheCounty,Utah).Snailsweretransportedin4.0Lvolumeplasticbagsthatwerefilledwith1-2Lofwaterandnaturalvegetationfrom

Page 5: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

5

thecollectionsites.Bagswerefilledwithoxygenandtransportedincoolerswithice.P.kolobensiswerecollectedonJuly28,2015fromasmallspringsituatedonNationalForestlandnearPineValley,Utah(WashingtonCounty).MudamnicolawerecollectedonAugust3,2015fromtheRightHandForkoftheLoganRiver(CacheCounty,Utah).NZMSwerecollectedonJuly27,2015fromtheLoaStateFishHatchery(WayneCounty,Utah).UponarrivaltoFES,snails,water,andcollectionsitevegetationweretransferredtoplasticaquaria(35x21x12.5cm,lengthxwidthxheight)withoneaquariumusedperspecies.Anairstoneconnectedtoanaquariumairpumpwasusedtoaeratetheaquariaandwerestoredinarefrigerator(FrigidaireElectroluxFFHT2021QW10,Charlotte,NorthCarolina,USA)withaon/offcyclecontrolledbyatemperaturecontrolswitch(JohnsonControlsmodelA419ABG-3,WestValleyCity,Utah,USA).Thetemperatureintherefrigeratorwassetat6°Candaveraged5.2±2.3°C(mean±SD;measuredevery15minwithaHoboOnsettemperaturelogger,Bourne,Massachusetts,USA).WaterexchangeswereperformedtwiceweeklyusingFESwellwater(pH=7.2,hardnessandalkalinity=200mg/L).Toprovidefood,watercressNasturtiumofficinalewasperiodicallycollectedfrombelowtheFESfishhatchery,rinsed4-5xwithwatertoremoveotherinvertebrates,andaddedtotheaquaria.

VideoCollectionApparatus

FourLogitechc525webcameras(Newark,California,USA)weremountedonashelfwithinthesamerefrigeratorwheretheaquariawerestoredandthesecameraswereaimeddownwardtocaptureimagesonashelfthatwas32cmbelow.Thewebcameraswereattachedviafourseparateuniversalserialbus(USB)connectorstoaHewlettPackardCompaq8510plaptopcomputer(PaloAlto,California,USA)thatwassituatedoutsidetherefrigerator.ThewebcamerasweremanagedandvideoswerecapturedusingiSpyvideosurveillancesoftware(version4.1.9.0;http://ispyconnect.com).ThedefaultiSpysettingswereused,exceptthesoftwaresettingswerechangedtocaptureoneimageeverysecond.VideoswerecapturedusingiSpyinaMP4format.TheywerethenconvertedtoaWindowsMediavideofile(WMVformat)usingMicrosoftLiveMovieMaker(2011Version;Redmond,Washington,USA).DecompileVideoMasterversion1.8(http://audane.com)wasusedtoseparatetheWMVfilesintoseparateJPGimageswithoneimagecapturedevery10seconds.Finally,MakeAVIsoftware(http://makeavi.sourceforge.net/)wasusedtocompress/converttheJPGimagesintoasingleAVIformatvideo.AVIfileswereprocessedusingthe"ManualTracking"plugininImageProcessingandAnalysisinJava(ImageJ)software(http://imagej.nih.gov/ij/).

ExperimentalDesign

ExperimentaltrialsweredesignedtoassesstheeffectsthatNZMShaveonthetwonativespecies.Trialslasted48hrswiththefirst24hrsservingasacontrolperiodwherethreeindividuals,allfromthesamespecieswereinatestarena.Afterthecontrolperiodwascomplete,1,3,or6individualsfromeitherthesamespeciesorNZMSwereaddedtothearenaswithfivereplicatesofeachcombinationtested.Thus,thetreatmentsfortheP.kolobensiswerethreeP.kolobensisforthefirst24hrsfollowedbytheadditionof1,3,or6P.kolobensisforthesecond24hrs.Alternatively,1,3,or6NZMSwereadded.Similarly,1,3,or6A.limosusor1,3,or6NZMSwereaddedfortrialsthatbeganwithA.limosus.OnlyNZMSwereaddedafter24hrstoarenasthathadNZMSforthe24hrcontrol

Page 6: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

6

period(1,3,or6individualsadded).Testarenaswere150mmdiameterPetridishesfilledwith25mLofFESwellwateranda1cm2pieceoffresh,organic,storepurchasedspinachSpinaciaoleraceawasaddedtothePetridishestoprovidethesnailswithforage.Snaildensitiesduringthefirst24hrswere170individuals/m2andwere226,340,or509individuals/m2duringthesecond24hrsdependingonwhether1,3,or6individualswereadded.Eachwebcamerarecordedasingletestarena.Atotalof75videoswererecordedandrecordingsbeganonAugust10,2015andwereshotatfourvideosatatimeuntilallvideoswererecorded.Topreventbias,theorderthatthevideoswererecordedwasrandomizedamongtreatmentsandindividualsnailsonlyparticipatedintherecordingofasinglevideo.

VideoProcessing/StatisticalAnalysis

TheprocessingofthevideosfollowedtechniquesthataresimilartothosedescribedinMyrick(2009).Eventhough48hrsofvideowasrecordedforeachreplicate,onlyfourhourswasfurtherprocessed.Wedecidedtoprocessthesecondandlasthourofvideofromeach24hrperiod(i.e.,hours2,24,26,and48).Thesetimeswereselectedtorepresentbehaviorchanges(e.g.,tiring)acrosstheentireobservationperiodandwewantedtogivethesnailsatleastonehourtoacclimateafteradditiontothetestarenas.Regardlessthatweonlyobservedfourhoursofvideo,individualsnailswerefollowedbywatchingthevideosatacceleratedspeedsoindividualsthatparticipatedintheinitial24hourcontrolperiodcouldbeseparatedfromtheadditionalsnailsthatwereaddedafter24hrs.

Thepositionofthesnailswastrackedusingthe"Manualtracking"plugininImageJandcoordinateswerecopiedintoaMicrosoftExcelspreadsheet(Redmond,Washington,USA).Coordinatepositionwasdeterminedevery10s(sinceimageswerecapturedofftheoriginalvideosevery10s).Pixelcoordinateswereconvertedtomillimetercoordinatesusingtheformula(Myrick2009):

𝑐𝑜𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑚𝑚 = 𝑐𝑜𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑝𝑖𝑥𝑒𝑙𝑠 × 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑎 (𝑚𝑚)𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑎 (𝑝𝑖𝑥𝑒𝑙𝑠)

Then,coordinateswereconvertedtodistancesusingtheformula(Myrick2009):

𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒!!! = 𝑥!!! − 𝑥! ! + (𝑦!!! − 𝑦!)!

wherexi+1andxiarethex-coordinatesandyi+1andyiarethey-coordinates.

Thedistancestraveledduringeach10sincrementweresummedtodeterminethecumulativedistancetraveledinanhour.Inaddition,thedistancetothenearestconspecificsnailandNZMSwasdeterminedforeach10sincrementandwereaveragedforeachhour.Thenvaluesfromhours2and24wereaveragedtoassessbehaviorbeforeadditionalsnailswereaddedandhours26and48wereaveragedtoassessbehaviorafteradditionalsnailswereadded.Foreachsnail,theaveragesfromaftertheadditionofsnailsweresubtractedfromtheaveragesfrombeforethesnailswereaddedtodeterminehowthecumulativedistancemovedandthedistancetothenearestconspecificdifferedbetweenthefirstandsecond24hperiods.Thus,positivevaluesrepresentedgreaternetdistancetraveledandconspecificseparationbeforeadditionalsnailswereaddedthanafteradditionalsnailswereadded.Also,inthesecond24hperiod,foreach10sincrement,wesubtractedthedistancetothe

Page 7: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

7

nearestNZMS(intreatmentsthatincludedNZMS)fromthedistancetothenearestconspecificandcomputedanaverageforhours26and48.PositivevaluesrepresentsnailsbeingnearerNZMSthanaconspecificandnegativevaluesrepresentbeingnearertoaconspecific.

Therewerefourprimaryquestionsthatwewishedtoaddresswiththesedata;1)doestheadditionofNZMSreducethedistancenativesnailsmove,2)donativesnailstendtoreduceseparationamongconspecificsafterNZMSareadded,3)donativessnailstendtobeclosertoaconspecificthanNZMS,and4)donativesnailsspendmorecumulativetimeclosertoaconspecificthanaNZMS?Datafortwooftheresponsevariables,netdistancetraveledanddistancetonearestconspecificwereanalyzedasa3-wayANOVAwithinitialspecies,speciesaddedafter24hrs,andnumberofindividualsaddedasmaineffects.TheresponseofwhethersnailswereclosertoNZMSorconspecificswasanalyzedasatwo-wayANOVAwithspeciesduringtheinitial24hrsandthenumberofadditionalsnailsaddedasmaineffects.DatawereanalyzedwiththesoftwareprogramR(Hornik2016)andvalueswereconsideredsignificantatP<0.05.Significantmaineffectsandassociatedinteractionswerefurtherexploredusingcontrasts(Kuehl2000).Alog-linearanalysiswasperformedtodeterminewhethersnailsspentmorecumulativetimeneareraconspecificthanaNZMS.Forthisanalysis,theproportionoftensecondtimeincrementsduringhours26and48thateachindividualnativesnailwasclosertoaconspecificthantoaNZMSwasdeterminedandwedeterminedwhetherthecumulativetimethatsnailswereclosertoaconspecificvariedbetweenthetwonativespeciesandwiththenumberofNZMSadded.Theanalysiswasperformedusingthe"GLM"functioninprogramR(Hornik2016).

Results

Thenetdistancethesnailsmoveddidnotvarywithspeciesthatwasaddedafter24hrs(Figure1;F2,63=1.61,P=0.21),indicatingthatthemovementofnativesnailswasnotsignificantlyreducedwiththeadditionofNZMS.Also,thenetdistancethatthesnailsmoveddidnotvarywiththenumberofindividualsaddedafter24hrs(F2,63=1.38,P=0.26),indicatingthatthemovementofthesnailswasnotdensitydependant.Onaverage,P.kolobensismoved228±146mm/hr(mean±SD),A.limosusmoved275±128mm/hr,andNZMSmoved212±168mm/hr.

Theseparationamongconspecificsnailsafter24hrsvariedwiththespeciesofsnailadded(Figure2;F2,63=4.08,P=0.02)butdidnotvarywiththenumberofsnailsadded(F2,63=2.61,P=0.08).TheonlysignificantchangeinseparationoccurredamongP.kolobensis(Tukey'sHSDTest,P=0.02),wheredistancetothenearestconspecificdecreasedby15.8±10.3mmaftermoreconspecificswereadded.Forbothnativespecies,thedistancetothenearestconspecificdidnotchangeafterNZMSwereadded(bothP≥0.06).

NativesnailpreferenceforresidingnearertoaconspecificthanaNZMSvariedwiththenumberofNZMSadded(Figure3;F2,25=14.69,P<0.01)butdidnotvarybetweenthetwonativespecies(F1,25=0.62,P=0.44).ContrastsindicatedthatwhenoneNZMSisaddedthatsnailswereonaverage29.0±5.5mmclosertoaconspecificthanaNZMSthanwheneitherthreeorsixNZMSwereadded(t1,25=5.26,P<0.01).Incontrast,wheneitherthreeorsixNZMSwereadded,thenativesnailsshowednopreferencetowardsbeingneareraconspecificoraNZMS(t1,25=0.82,P=0.42).Regardlessofthedistance

Page 8: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

8

separatingnativesnailsandNZMS,bothnativespeciesspentmorecumulativetimeclosertoaconspecificthanaNZMSandthisvariedwiththenumberofNZMSadded(Table1;χ2,P<0.01,df=50).OddratiosshowedthatP.kolobensiswere1.4timesmorelikelythanA.limosustobeclosertoaconspecificthanaNZMSwhensixNZMSwasaddedtoatestarena.Thisoddsratiowas0.9whenoneNZMSwasaddedand1.1whenthreeNZMSwereadded.Mudamnicolawere0.8timesaslikelytobenearesttoaconspecificthanaNZMSwhenoneNZMSwasaddedand1.2and1.4timesmorelikelytobenearerotherA.limosusthanNZMSwheneitherthreeorsixNZMSwereadded,respectively.

Finally,thedistanceamongNZMSvariedwiththenumberofadditionalNZMSadded(Figure4;F2,26=32.6,P<0.01).TheresultsofaTukey'smultiplecomparisontestshowedthatthedistancetothenearestNZMSwassignificantlycloserwhensixNZMSwereaddedthanwhenthreewereaddedandtheadditionofthreeNZMSleadtosnailsbeingclosertooneanotherthanwhenasingleNZMSwasadded(Pforallpairwisecomparisons≤0.04).

Conclusions

Invasionsbyexoticspeciesarebecomingincreasinglycommonandmoreresearchontheinteractionsbetweennativeandnon-nativespeciesisrequired(Byers2000).WeobservedsnailsinourbehaviortrialtodeterminewhetherinterferenceoccursbetweenNZMSandP.kolobensisorA.limosus.TheresultsfromthesetrialsindicatethattheadditionofNZMSdidnotalterthewillingnessofthenativesnailspeciestomove.Thedistancesandhencevelocitiesofthenativesnailsdidnotvarybyspeciesadded,nordidthedistancemovedchangebetweenthefirstandsecond24hrobservationperiods.Also,thedistancetothenearestconspecificdidnotchangewhenNZMSwereadded,indicatingthatNZMSdidnothaveanantagonisticeffectonthenativesnails.BothP.kolobensisandNZMSmovedclosertooneanotherwhenconspecificswereadded,suggestingattractionamongindividualswithinthesespecies.BothA.limosusandP.kolobensiswereequidistantlyspacedbetweenconspecificsandNZMSwheneitherthreeorsixNZMSwereadded,whichagainindicatesalackofantagonisticeffect.Interestingly,however,spacingamongspecieswassimilarwheneitherthreeorsixNZMSwereadded,whichprovidessomeindicationthatthenativesnailssoughtcompanyofconspecificsathighNZMSdensities.ThisisfurthersupportedbydatashowingthatbothnativespeciesspentmorecumulativetimeneareraconspecificthanNZMSathigherNZMSdensitiesthanlowerNZMSdensities.OtherstudieshavedocumentedsimilaraggregationamongsnailsincludingAchatinafulica(Chaseetal.1980)andBiomphalariaglabrata(Simpsonetal.1973).

TheresultsfromourresearchindicatethatNZMSdidnotdirectlyaffectthebehaviorofP.kolobensisorA.limosus.TherearefewNZMSpredatorsandparasitesinNorthAmericaandNZMStolerateawiderangeofphysiochemicalconditions(AlonsoandCastro-Diez2008)andthusNZMSmayexertastrongercompetitiveeffectonP.kolobensisorA.limosusundercertainenvironmentalconditions.LittleisknownaboutP.kolobensisandA.limosus,buttherangeofthesespecieshasnotexpandedlikeNZMSanditislikelythatthesespeciesarelesstoleranttoextremeconditionsastheNZMS.Thus,humanalterationofecosystemsmaycreateconditionsthataremoreconduciveforNZMSandlessfavorableforP.kolobensisandA.limosus.Ingeneral,therearemanyhydrobiidspeciesintheIntermountainWest(HershlerandPonder1998)andmanyofthesespecieshaverestrictedranges.Due

Page 9: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

9

torelatedness,competitionbetweenNZMSandnativehydrobiidswouldbeexpectedbutlittleevidenceofcompetitionwasobservedinourstudies.FutureresearchshouldevaluatetheeffectofNZMSonadditionalspeciesandshouldfocusonNZMSeffectsinnaturalenvironments.

LiteratureCited

Aberle,N.,H.Hillebrand,J.Grey,andK.H.Wiltshire.2005.Selectivityandcompetitiveinteractions betweentwobenthicinvertebrategrazers(AsellusaquaticusandPotamopyrgusantipodarum): anexperimentalstudyusing13C-and15N-labelleddiatoms.FreshwaterBiology50:369–379.

Alonso,A,andP.Castro-Díez.2008.Whatexplainstheinvadingsuccessoftheaquaticmudsnail Potamopyrgusantipodarum(Hydrobiidae,Mollusca)?Hydrobiologia.614:107–116.

Byers,J.E.2000.Competitionbetweentwoestuarinesnails:implicationsforinvasionsofexoticspecies. Ecology.81:1225–1239.

Chase,R.,R.P.Croll,andL.L.Zeichner.1980.AggregationinsnailsAchatinafulica.Behavioraland NeuralBiology30:218-230.

Hershler,R.,andW.F.PonderWF.1998.Areviewofmorphologicalcharactersofhydrobioidsnails. SmithsonianContributionstoZoology600.

Hornik,K.2016.TheRFAQ.http://cran.r-project.org/doc/FAQ/R-FAQ.html.Accessed2-11-16.

Kerans,B.L.,M.FDybdahl,M.MGangloff,andJ.E.Jannot.2005.Potamopyrgusantipodarum: distribution,density,andeffectsonnativemacroinvertebrateassemblagesintheGreater YellowstoneEcosystem.JournaloftheNorthAmericanBenthologicalSociety24:123–138.

Kerans,B.L.,C.A.Cada,andJ.Zickovich.2010.AsymmetricalbehavioralinteractionsbetweentheNew Zealandmudsnail,Potamopyrgusantipodarum,andscraping,collector-gatheringandcollector- filteringmacroinvertebrates.JournalofFreshwaterEcology25:657–666.

Krist,A.,andM.Dybdahl.2005.TheinvasiveNewZealandmudsnail,Potamopyrgusantipodarum, reducesgrowthofthenativesnail,Fossariasp.UniversityofWyomingNationalParkService ResearchCenterAnnualReport29:42–48.

Kuehl,R.O.2000.DesignofExperiments:StatisticalPrinciplesofResearchDesignandAnalysis,2nd Edition.DuxburyPress,PacificGrove,California.

Moore,J.W.,D.B.Herbst,W.B.Heady,andS.M.Carlson.2012.Streamcommunityandecosystem responsestotheboomandbustofaninvadingsnail.BiologicalInvasions14:2435–2446.

Myrick,C.A.2009.Alow-costsystemforcapturingandanalyzingthemotionofaquaticorganisms. JournaloftheNorthAmericanBenthologicalSociety28:101–109.

Page 10: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

10

Richards,D.C.2004.CompetitionbetweenthethreatenedBlissRapidssnailTaylorconchaserpenticola (Hershleretal.)andtheinvasiveaquaticsnailPotamopyrgusantipodarum(Gray).Dissertation, MontanaStateUniversity.

Riley,L.A.,andM.F.Dybdahl.2015.Therolesofresourceavailabilityandcompetitioninmediating growthratesofinvasiveandnativefreshwatersnails.FreshwaterBiology60:1308–1315.

Riley,L.A.,M.F.Dybdahl,andR.O.Hall.2008.Invasivespeciesimpact:asymmetricinteractions betweeninvasiveandendemicfreshwatersnails.JournaloftheNorthAmericanBenthological Society27:509–520.

Simpson,A.W.,J.D.Thomas,C.R.Townsend.1973.Socialbehaviorinthefreshwaterpulmonatesnail Biomphalariaglabrata(Say).BehavioralBiology9:731-740.

Page 11: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

11

Table1:PercentageofobservationswhereP.kolobensisandA.limosuswereclosertoaconspecificthantoNZMS.Thepercentageofobservationsandstandarddeviation(SD;inparentheses)arebasedon5replicatesofeachtreatmentand720observationsperreplicate(120minobservationx6observationperiods/min).

NativeSpecies

Numberof

NZMSin

Arena

%ofObservationsClosertoConspecific

ToquervilleSpringsnail 1 45.6(5.6)

3 57.6(23.4)

6 72.6(4.7)

MudAmnicola 1 37.3(9.3)

3 61.0(9.8)

6 70.9(13.7)

Page 12: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

12

Species

Toquerville Mud Amnicola NZMS

Diff

eren

ce In

Net

Mov

emen

t Bef

ore/

A

fter S

nail

Addi

tion

(mm

)

-200

-150

-100

-50

0

50

100

150Conspecific AddedNZMS Added

Figure1:DifferenceinmovementofP.kolobensisandA.limosusaftertheadditionofconspecificscomparedtotheadditionofNZMS.Dataonthey-axisrepresenttheaveragenetdistancethatsnailsmovedafteradditionalsnailswereaddedsubtractedfromtheaveragenetdistancemovedbeforeadditionalsnailswereadded.Positivevaluesrepresentgreaterdistancestraveledbeforeadditionalsnailswereadded.Errorbarsrepresent±1SD.

Page 13: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

13

Time (hrs)

24 48

Mea

n Se

para

tion

Amon

g

Con

spec

ifics

(mm

)

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90Toquerville-Toquerville AddedToquerville-NZMS AddedMud Amnicola-Mud Amnicola AddedMud Amnicola-NZMS Added

Figure2:AveragedistancebetweenP.kolobensisorA.limosuseitheraftertheadditionofconspecificsortheadditionofNZMS.CirclesrepresentdatafromP.kolobensisandtrianglesrepresentA.limosus.ClosedsymbolsrepresenttheadditionofconspecificsandopensymbolsrepresenttheadditionofNZMS.Errorbarsrepresent±1SD.

Page 14: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

14

Species

Toquerville Mud Amnicola-40

-20

0

20

40

601 NZMS Added3 NZMS Added6 NZMS Added

Diff

eren

ce In

Sep

arat

ion

Betw

een

C

onsp

ecifi

c an

d N

ZMS

(mm

)

Figure3:AveragedifferenceindistancebetweennearestconspecificandnearestNZMSaftertheadditionofNZMSatthreedifferentdensities.Dataonthey-axisrepresenttheaveragedistancetothenearestconspecificminustheaveragedistancetothenearestNZMS.PositivevaluesrepresentsnailsbeingnearertoconspecificsandnegativevaluesrepresentsnailsbeingclosertoNZMS.Errorbarsrepresent±1SD.

Page 15: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

15

# of NZMS Added

1 3 6

Dis

tanc

e to

Nea

rest

NZM

S (m

m)

0

20

40

60

80

100

A

B

C

Figure4:AveragedistanceofNZMStothenearestNZMSaftertheadditionofeither1,3,or6NZMStothetestarenas.TreatmentswithdifferentlettersabovethebarsaresignificantlydifferentfromoneanotheratP<0.05.Errorbarsrepresent±1SD.

Page 16: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

16

Task2:EffectoftheInvasiveNewZealandMudsnailontheRecruitmentandSurvivalofTwoNativeSnails

Background

NewZealandmudsnails(NZMS)Potamopyrgusantipodarumareanexampleofasuccessfulinvasivespecies(AlonsoandCastro-Diez2008).Onceestablished,NZMScanbecomeadominantcomponentofaninvertebratecommunityandconsequently,NZMShavetheabilitytonegativelyaffectothertaxa.Forexample,severalstudieshavefoundthatthegrowthratesofothersnailtaxaaresuppressedinthepresenceofNZMS(KristandDybdahl2005;RileyandDybdahl2015).Rileyetal.(2008)foundthatNZMSlimitedthegrowthofthenativesnailPyrgulopsisrobustaandthatthenativesnailfacilitatedthegrowthofNZMS.StudieshavealsofoundtheabundanceofotherinvertebratetaxatocovarywithNZMSabundance(Keransetal.2005;Mooreetal.2012).Finally,NZMShavebeenshowntoalterthebehaviorofotherspecies.Forexample,Keransetal.(2005)foundthatotherspeciesofmacroinvertebrateswerelessabundantontilesthatwereheavilycolonizedbyNZMS.Keransetal.(2010)foundthatNZMSinterferedwiththeforagingofmayfliesinthefamilyBaetidaebutthatthecaddisflyBrachycentrusoccidentaliscausedNZMStoabandonthesurfacesoftiles.ThepresenceofNZMShasalsobeenassociatedwithshiftsinfeedingpreferencesintheisopodAsellusaquaticus(Aberleetal.2005)andbaetidmayflies(Keransetal.2010).

NewZealandmudsnailsaremembersofthesnailfamilyHydrobiidae,whichisthelargestfreshwatermolluskgroupwithmorethan1,000species(HershlerandPonder1998).Manyspecieswithinthefamilyhavespecifichabitatrequirements,limitedranges,andaresensitivetohabitatalteration(HershlerandPonder1998).Consequently,manyhydrobiidspeciesareconsideredthreatenedorendangered(e.g.,BlissRapidssnailTaylorconchaserpenticola;Richards2004).TheeffectsthatNZMShaveonotherhydrobiidtaxaarepoorlyunderstoodbutsimilaritiesinbodysize,habitat,andlife-historyrequirementswouldsuggestthatNZMScouldhavestrongercompetitiveeffectsonotherhydrobiidspeciesthanotherinvertebratetaxa.

ThegoalsofourresearchweretoassesshowNZMSaffectthebehavioroftwootherhydrobiidspecies,theToquervillespringsnailPyrgulopsiskolobensisandmudamnicolaAmnicolalimosus,bothofwhicharenativetotheUnitedStates.TodothisweplacedP.kolobensisorA.limosusinexperimentalmesocosmswithvaryingdensitiesofNZMSanddeterminedhowNZMSaffectedthesurvivalandrecruitmentofthenativesnails.WehypothesizedthatNZMSwouldreducethesurvivalandrecruitmentofthetwonativespecies.

Methods

SnailCollectionandMaintenance

Pyrgulopsiskolobensis,A.limosus,andNZMSwerecollectedinthefieldandtransportedtotheUtahDivisionofWildlifeResource'sFisheriesExperimentStation(FES;CacheCounty,Utah).Snailsweretransportedin4.0Lvolumeplasticbagsthatwerefilledwith1-2Lofwaterandnaturalvegetationfrom

Page 17: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

17

thecollectionsites.Bagswerefilledwithoxygenandtransportedincoolerswithice.P.kolobensiswerecollectedonJuly28,2015fromasmallspringsituatedonNationalForestlandnearPineValley,Utah(WashingtonCounty).MudamnicolawerecollectedonAugust3,2015fromtheRightHandForkoftheLoganRiver(CacheCounty,Utah).NZMSwerecollectedonJuly27,2015fromtheLoaStateFishHatchery(WayneCounty,Utah).UponarrivaltoFES,snails,water,andcollectionsitevegetationweretransferredtoplasticaquaria(35x21x12.5cm,lengthxwidthxheight)withoneaquariumusedperspecies.Anairstoneconnectedtoanaquariumairpumpwasusedtoaeratetheaquariaandwerestoredinarefrigerator(FrigidaireElectroluxFFHT2021QW10,Charlotte,NorthCarolina,USA)withaon/offcyclecontrolledbyatemperaturecontrolswitch(JohnsonControlsmodelA419ABG-3,WestValleyCity,Utah,USA).Thetemperatureintherefrigeratorwassetat6°Candaveraged5.2±2.3°C(mean±SD;measuredevery15minwithaHoboOnsettemperaturelogger,Bourne,Massachusetts,USA).WaterexchangeswereperformedtwiceweeklyusingFESwellwater(pH=7.2,hardnessandalkalinity=200mg/L).Toprovidefood,watercressNasturtiumofficinalewasperiodicallycollectedfrombelowtheFESfishhatchery,rinsed4-5xwithwatertoremoveotherinvertebrates,andaddedtotheaquaria.

ExperimentalDesign

TheeffectofNZMSonthesurvivalandrecruitmentofA.limosusandP.kolobensiswasdeterminedusingsevendifferenttreatmentswithfivereplicatesofeachtreatment.Theseventreatmentsincludedtenindividualsfromeachspecies(NZMS,A.limosus,andP.kolobensis)housedallopatrically,fiveindividualsfromthetwonativespeciesheldsympatricallywithfiveNZMS,andfiveindividualsfromthetwonativespeciesheldsympatricallyalongwithtenNZMS.Snailswereaddedtoplasticaquaria(35x21x12.5cm,lengthxwidthxheight;136snails/m2intreatmentswith10snailsand204snails/m2intreatmentswith15snails)onDecember9,2015andlasted60d.Theaquariawereplacedontwoadjacentstorageshelvingunits,eachwiththreeshelves.Wewereconcernedabouttemperaturedifferencesamongshelvesandstratifiedtheexperimentbyplacingonereplicateofeachtreatmentoneachshelf(oneshelfononestorageunitnotused).Treatmentplacementonindividualshelveswasrandomized.TemperaturedatacollectedwithHoboOnsettemperatureloggers(Bourne,Massachusetts)revealedthattreatmentstratificationwasjustifiedasthereweresignificanttemperaturedifferencesamongshelves(F2,17379=6738,P<0.01,topshelves:13.9±2.9°C,middleshelves:12.4±2.3°C,bottomshelves:8.6±2.4°C,allmean±SD).Toprovideforage,10.0gofwatercresswasaddedtoeachtoteandwasreplenishedbyadding5.0additionalgramshalf-waythroughtheexperiment.Thewaterineachtotewasreplacedevery3-4dbypouringthecontentsofthetotethrougha100µmsieveandaddingthecontentsandfreshFESwellwaterbacktotheaquaria.Aerationwasprovidedtoeachtoteviaanaquariumairpumpandairstone.

Attheendofthetrial,adultsnailswereremovedfromtheaquariaandsurvivaloftheseadultsnailswasassessedviaobservationunderadissectingmicroscopeandsnailsthatreactedtotouchwithaneedlewereconsideredalive.Snailsthatdidnotrespondorhademptyshellswereconsidereddead(Schisleretal.2008).Theremainingaquariacontentswerefrozenandlaterthawedandnumbersofjuvenilesfromeachspeciesweredeterminedusingadissectingmicroscopeunder15Xmagnification.Thesurvivalstatusofthejuvenilesattheendofthetrialwasnotassessed.Tofacilitateinseparating

Page 18: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

18

juvenilesfromdetritus,sampleswerestainedusinga0.1%AlizarinRedsolutionfor2hrsfollowedbyrinsingwithdeionizedwater(HowardandSmith1983).Sampleswerethenstainedfor10-15susing1.0%LightGreenSFYellowishfollowedbyadditionalrinsing(HowardandSmith1983).

Data(survivalofadultsfromeachspeciesandnumbersofjuvenilesproducedforeachspecies)wereanalyzedusingone-wayrandomizedcompleteblockdesign(Kuehl2000).Themaineffectwastreatmentandeachshelfwasconsideredablock.ContrastswereusedtodetermineNZMSeffectsbycomparingcontrolconditions(speciesheldallopatric)againstthetwoNZMSdensitytreatments.Similarly,contrastswereusedtocomparesurvivalandjuvenileproductionbetweenthetwoNZMSdensities.AllanalyseswereperformedusingprogramR(Hornik2016)andvalueswereconsideredsignificantatP<0.05.

Results

Thesurvivaloftheadultsnailsdidnotvaryamongtreatments(F6,24=1.97,P=0.11)indicatingthatNZMSpresenceanddensitydidnotaffectthesurvivalofthenativesnails.ThesurvivalofNZMSdidnotvarybetweenthetwodensities(5versus10NZMSwithinaquaria;F3,12=2.65,P=0.10).Thenumbersofjuvenilesnailsproducedvariedamongtreatments(Table2;F6,24=4.67,P<0.01).Whenheldallopatrically,NZMSproductionexceededproductionofbothA.limosusandP.kolobensis(bothP<0.01).NoreductioninjuvenileproductionwasobservedwhenNZMSwereadded,regardlessofNZMSdensity(allP≥0.15).Significantdifferencesinjuvenileproductionwerealsoobservedafterstandardizationtocontrolfordifferencesinnumbersofadultnativesnailsamongtreatments(i.e.,numberofjuvenilesproduced/numberofadultsaddedtoaquaria;F6,24=3.45,P=0.01).Whenanalyzedinthismanner,underallopatricsituations,NZMSproducedmorejuveniles/adultthanbothA.limosusorP.kolobensis(bothP≤0.01)andtherewasnodifferenceinjuvenileproductionamongthetwonativespecies(t1,24=1.22,P=0.23).Undersympatricconditions,theadditionofNZMShadnoeffectontheproductionofP.kolobensis(t1,24=0.29,P=0.77)whereastheadditionofNZMSincreasedjuvenileproductionamongA.limosus(t1,24=2.15,P=0.04).Regardless,chi-squaretestsshowedthattheproductionofjuvenileswasnotdisproportionatelyskewedtowardsNZMS(allP≥0.10).

Conclusions

TheresultsindicatethatthepresenceofNZMSdidnotaffectthesurvivalorrecruitmentofthenativesnails.Weobserved,however,thatNZMSrecruitmentrates(juvenilesproduced/adult)werehigherthanthenativespecies.Otherstudies(e.g.,AlonsoandCastro-Diez2008)havealsonotedahighreproductiverateamongNZMS.ThereproductiverateforNZMSinourstudy(0.02±0.01individuals/d)wasmuchlowerthanhasbeenreportedinotherstudies(0.1-1.3individuals/d;Halletal.2006).ItispossiblethatreproductiveratesinNZMSarereducedwhensnailsareremovedfromnaturalconditions,butregardless,weingeneralhaveseenlessreproductionamongNZMScollectedfromtheLoaHatcherythanhasbeenreportedbyotherresearchers(Oplinger,personalobservation).ItappearsthatthecombinationofhighfecundityandgrazingsuccesscontributestotheeffectthatNZMShaveonothertaxa.Forexample,Mooreetal.(2012)foundthattheabundanceofnativegrazersdeclinedasNZMSnumbersincreasedandthenrecoveredwhentheNZMSpopulationcrashed.Rileyetal.(2008)andRiley

Page 19: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

19

andDybdahl(2015)studiedNZMSinteractionswithPyrgulopsisrobusta,whichisinthesamegenusastheP.kolobensisandfoundasymmetriccompetitiveinteractions;thepresenceofNZMSaffectedP.robustabutP.robustadidnotaffectNZMS.TheeffectsofNZMSwereassessedinthesestudiesintermsofgrowthandalthoughnotassessedinourstudy,changesingrowthmayultimatelyaffectrecruitmentandshouldbeevaluatedinP.kolobensisandA.limosus.

LiteratureCited

AberleN,HillebrandH,GreyJ,WiltshireKH.2005.Selectivityandcompetitiveinteractions betweentwobenthicinvertebrategrazers(AsellusaquaticusandPotamopyrgusantipodarum): anexperimentalstudyusing13C-and15N-labelleddiatoms.FreshwaterBiol.50:369–379.

AlonsoA,Castro-DíezP.2008.Whatexplainstheinvadingsuccessoftheaquaticmudsnail Potamopyrgusantipodarum(Hydrobiidae,Mollusca)?Hydrobiologia.614:107–116.

HallRO,DybdahlMF,VanderloopMC.2006.Extremelyhighsecondaryproductionofintroducedsnails inrivers.EcolAppl.16:1121-1131.

HershlerR,PonderWF.1998.Areviewofmorphologicalcharactersofhydrobioidsnails.SmCZool. 600.

HornikK.2016.TheRFAQ.http://cran.r-project.org/doc/FAQ/R-FAQ.html.Accessed2-11-16.

KeransBL,DybdahlMF,GangloffMM,JannotJE.2005.Potamopyrgusantipodarum:distribution, density,andeffectsonnativemacroinvertebrateassemblagesintheGreaterYellowstone Ecosystem.JNAmBentholSoc.24:123–138.

KeransBL,CadaCA,ZickovichJ.2010.AsymmetricalbehavioralinteractionsbetweentheNewZealand mudsnail,Potamopyrgusantipodarum,andscraping,collector-gatheringandcollector-filtering macroinvertebrates.JFreshwaterEcol.25:657–666.

KristA,DybdahlM.2005.TheinvasiveNewZealandmudsnail,Potamopyrgusantipodarum,reduces growthofthenativesnail,Fossariasp.UnivWyomingNat.ParkServ.ResearchCenterAnnual Report29:42–48.

KuehlRO.2000.DesignofExperiments:StatisticalPrinciplesofResearchDesignandAnalysis,2nd Edition.DuxburyPress,PacificGrove,California.

RichardsDC.2004.CompetitionbetweenthethreatenedBlissRapidssnailTaylorconchaserpenticola (Hershleretal.)andtheinvasiveaquaticsnailPotamopyrgusantipodarum(Gray).Dissertation, MontanaStateUniversity.

RileyLA,DybdahlMF.2015.Therolesofresourceavailabilityandcompetitioninmediating growth ratesofinvasiveandnativefreshwatersnails.FreshwaterBiol.60:1308–1315.

Page 20: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

20

RileyLA,DybdahlMF,HallRO.2008.Invasivespeciesimpact:asymmetricinteractionsbetweeninvasive andendemicfreshwatersnails.JNAmBentholSoc.27:509–520.

Page 21: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

21

Table2:Averagenumber(withSDinparentheses)ofnativesnailandNZMSrecruitsproducedperadultaddedintoaquaria.MArepresentsmudamnicolaandToqrepresentsToquervillespringsnail.

Treatment #ofNatives #ofNZMS

10MA 0.08(0.1)

10Toq 0.2(0.2)

10NZMS

1.0(0.6)

5MA+5NZMS 0.3(0.4) 0.5(0.4)

5MA+10NZMS 0.5(0.5) 1.2(0.5)

5Toq+5NZMS 0.1(0.2) 0.5(0.4)

5Toq+10NZMS 0.4(0.3) 0.6(0.1)

Page 22: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

22

Task3:RecruitmentPotentialAmongNewZealandMudSnailsthatSurviveFishDigestion

Background

NewZealandmudsnails(NZMS;Potamopyrgusantipodarum)havebeendiscoveredinmanypublicandprivatefishhatcheries.WithinUtah,theNZMSisfoundwithintheLoaStateFishHatcheryandhasbeenknowntooccurwithinthehatcherysinceNovember2007.NZMSappeartohavenoadverseeffectsonfishwithinhatcheries.ThepresenceofNZMShasbeenassociatedwithdecreasesingrowthandconditionofwildfish(VinsonandBaker2008).

HatcheryrearedfishcanbedistributedtomanywatersandthereareconcernsinhatcheriesthathaveNZMSthatsnailscanbeinadvertentlystockedatthesametimethatfisharestocked.Therearemanystepsthatcanbetakentodecreasethisrisk.Forexample,hatcherydistributiontruckscanbefilledwithfilteredwaterorwaterfromaNZMS-freesourceandthelikelihoodofaccidentallyloadingsnailsintothedistributiontruckcanbedecreasedbynottouchingtheracewaywallsandfloorwithanetwhileloadingfish.Onelargerconcern,however,isthatthefishthemselvescouldhaveNZMSintheirdigestivetractsandthatthesnailscouldbeexcretedaliveafterstocking.Oplingeretal.(2009)foundthat4.5%ofNZMSthatareingestedbysub-catchablesizedrainbowtroutsurvivedigestion.StaffattheLoaHatcherydissected1,539fishinracewaysandfoundatotalof120NZMSinthedigestivetractsofthesefish(Oplingeretal.2011).BasedontheseaveragesitisestimatedthatoneliveNZMScouldbeinadvertentlyaddedtothewildforevery285fishstockedfromthehatchery.Thehatcheryhasapolicystatingthatfisharequarantinedpriortostocking.Atotalof2,100fishinspeciallycleanedquarantineracewaysweredissectedandnoNZMSwerefoundinthedigestivetractsofthesefish(Oplingeretal.2011).Thisdataindicatesthatinprinciplethatthereisnoriskassociatedwiththestockingoffishfromthequarantineraceways.Inreality,however,NZMSareknowntooccurineveryracewayatthefacilityanditislikelythatsomeNZMSarenotkilledduringthepreparationofthequarantineraceways.ThusthereissomeriskthatthestockingoffishfromtheseracewayscouldleadtotheestablishmentofnewNZMSpopulations,albeitthequarantineprocessgreatlyreducesthisrisk.Regardless,eventhoughitisknownthat4.5%ofingestedNZMSsurvivedigestion,itisnotknownwhethersnailsthatpassthroughthedigestivetractofafishmakeafullrecoveryandeventuallyreproduceorifthesesnailsaresocompromisedbythedigestionprocessthattheyneverreproduceorultimatelypassaway.ThisdetailisimportantbecauseNZMSreproduceasexuallyandtheintroductionofasinglesnailmaybesufficienttoleadtotheestablishmentofanewNZMSpopulation.

ThepurposeofthisstudywastodeterminewhetherNZMSthatsurvivedigestionarecapableofreproducing.WecomparedthereproductionabilityofsnailsthatweredigestedbytwosizeclassesofrainbowtroutOncorhynchusmykiss.Thiswasdonetodeterminewhetherthe"thoroughness"ofdigestionvarieswithfishsize.

Methods

ThisstudywasperformedattheLoaStateFishHatchery.Sixaquaria,each110Linvolumewereplacedonracewayfloors.Asiphonwasusedtodeliverwaterintotheaquariaandoutflowwas

Page 23: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

23

directedthroughastandpipe.Boardswereplacedontopoftheaquariatopreventfishescape.Threeaquariawereusedforeachfishsizeclasswith7-8fishplacedintoeachaquaria.FishwereacquiredfromtheEganandGlenwoodStateFishHatcheries.Fishinthesmallersizeclassrangedbetween122and159mmtotallengthwithanaverageof141mm.Fishinthelargersizeclassrangedbetween160and240mmtotallengthwithanaverageof207mm.Wehadhopedtohaveagreaterdiscrepancyinlengthbetweenthelargerandsmallerfish.Thesmallerfishareofasizeconsistentwith"sub-catchables"thatarestockedwithinUtah.Wehopedtofind"catchable"fishbutthelargersizeclasswerethelargestfishavailableatthetimeofthestudy.

WefoundthatthefishdidnotvolitionallyconsumeNZMS.Instead,NZMSwereforce-fedtothefishbyanesthetizingthefishwithMS-222andinsertingatubeintotheirstomachs(Oplingeretal.2009).TenNZMSwereplacedintothetubeandasyringefilledwithwaterwasusedtoflushthesnailsfromthetubeintothestomachs.Thefishwereheldfor15minutesinfreshwatertoallowforanesthesiarecoveryandtoprovidethefishtheopportunitytoregurgitatesnails.Afterwards,thefishwereplacedbackintotheaquaria.

Twicedaily,thebottomsoftheaquariaweresiphonedandwastewasremoved.NZMSwereseparatedfromtheotherwasteandplacedintobeakersofhatcherywater.Snailswereprovidedatleast6hourstorecoverandafterrecovery,snailsthatmovedwereconsideredalive.Livesnailswereseparatedfromdeadsnailsandwereplacedinto5.7LaquariathatwereplacedontheflooroftheLoaHatcheryShop.Asinglelivesnailwasaddedtoeachaquariaand10gofwatercressNasturtiumofficinalewasaddedtoprovidethesnailswithforage.Atotalof66aquariawereestablished;22containedsnailsthatsurviveddigestionbysmallerfish,22containedsnailsthatsurviveddigestionbylargerfish,and22containedsnailsthatwerenotfedtofishandwerethuscontrols.Thesnailsremainedintheaquariafor74d.Thewaterandwatercressineachaquariawasreplacedthreetimesduringtheholdingperiod.Aftertheholdingperiodwascomplete,thesurvivalofthesnailswasassessedandthecontentsofeachaquariawerepreservedbyfreezing.

SamplesweretransportedtotheFisheriesExperimentStationwheretheywerethawedandfilteredusingsievestocollectparticlesthatwere100-500µminsize.Theseparticleswerestainedfor1-4hrsina0.1%alizarinredsolution(HowardandSmith1983).Theseparticleswerethenrinsedandcounterstainedfor10susing1.0%lightgreen,SFyellowish+1%glacialaceticacidandafterwardstheparticleswerethoroughlyrinsed(HowardandSmith1983).Adissectingmicroscopewasusedtoscanalloftheparticlesunder20xmagnificationandNZMSneonateswereobservedandenumerated.Notall66sampleswereprocessed.Weenumeratedneonatesfrom11ofthe22snailsthatsurviveddigestionbythesmallerrainbowtrout,7ofthe22snailsthatsurviveddigestionbythelargerrainbowtrout,and5ofthe22controlsamples.Anone-wayANOVAwasusedtocompareneonatenumbersacrosstreatments.Inaddition,at-testwasusedtodeterminewhetherthenumberofneonatesobservedwasgreateramongsnailsthatsurvivedtheentire74dholdingperiod.AlldatawereanalyzedusingR(Hornik2016)andconsideredstatisticallysignificantatP<0.05.Logarithmictransformationswereusedtoensurethedatametthenormalityassumptionoftheanalyses.

Page 24: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

24

Results/Discussion

Neonateswerefoundinalltreatments(Figure5)andthenumberofneonatesproduceddidnotvaryamongtreatments(F2,20=0.48,P=0.63).Only5ofthe66snails(7.6%)ofthesnailssurvivedtheentire74dholdingperiod.Twoofthosesnailswerefromthecontroltreatment,twosurviveddigestionbysmallerfish,andonesurviveddigestionbylargerfish.Thenumberofneonatesproduceddidnotvaryamongaquariawherethesnailssurvivedtheentire74dholdingperiodcomparedtoaquariawherethesnailsdidnotsurvivetheentireholdingperiod(Figure6;F1,21=0.89,P=0.36;3of23samplesprocessedhadNZMSthatsurvivedthe74dholdingperiod).ThesedataclearlyindicatethatNZMSthatsurvivedigestionhavetheabilitytoreproduce.Thus,iffisharestockedfromahatcherythathasNZMS,anysnailsthatsurvivedigestionhavetheabilitytoreproduceandestablishnewNZMSpopulations.Also,reproductiveratesamongsnailsthatsurviveddigestionwerenotreducedcomparedtocontrols,indicatingthesurvivingsnailswereingoodcondition.Finally,similarnumbersofneonateswereproducedbysnailsthatsurvivedtheentire74dholdingperiodcomparedtosnailsthatdidnotsurvive.Thiswouldsuggestthatmostneonateswereproducedearlyintheholdingperiod,beforesignificantnumbersofsnailsdied.

Fish Size

Small Large Control

Neo

nate

s Pr

oduc

ed

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Figure5:Averagenumberofneonatesproducedbysnailsthatsurviveddigestionbyeithersmallerorlargerrainbowtrout.Thecontroltreatmentreferstosnailsthatwerenotfedtofish.Errorbarsrepresent±1standarddeviationofthemean.

Page 25: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

25

Survival at Trial End

Dead Alive

Neo

nate

s Pr

oduc

ed

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Figure6:Averagenumberofneonatesproducedbysnailswereeitheraliveordead74daysafterdigestionbyfish.Errorbarsrepresent±1standarddeviationofthemean.

LiteratureCited

Howard,D.W.,andC.S.Smith.1983.Histologicaltechniquesformarinebivalvemollusks.NOAA TechnicalMemorandumNMFS-F/NEC-25.

Oplinger,R.,W.,P.Brown,andE.J.Wagner.2009.Effectofsodiumchloride,tricaine methanesulfonate,andlightonNewZealandmudsnailbehavior,survivalofsnailsdefecated fromrainbowtrout,andeffectsofepsomsaltonsnaileliminationrate.NorthAmericanJournal ofAquaculture71:157-164.

Oplinger,R.,P.Brown,E.Wagner,M.Durfey,E.VanDyke,andT.Howick.2011.Researchandefforts placedintoremovingNewZealandMudSnailsfromtheLoaStateFishHatchery.UtahDivision ofWildlifeResourcesPublication11-25.

Page 26: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

26

Vinson,M.,andM.Baker.2008.PoorgrowthofrainbowtroutfedNewZealandMudSnails Potamopyrgusantipodarum.NorthAmericanJournalofFisheriesManagement28:701–709.

Page 27: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

27

Task4:UpdateoftheRangeofNZMSwithinUtah

NewZealandmudsnails(NZMS)werediscoveredintheLoaStateFishHatcheryin2007.Aftertheirformaldiscovery,NZMSshellswerefoundinpilesoffishwasteatthehatcheryandthesepileswereproducedpriorto2007(likely2004or2005).Thus,itisassumedthatNZMSactuallyenteredthehatcheryearlierthan2007.ThediscoveryofNZMSin2007promptedaquarantineoftheLoaHatcheryandsubsequentsamplingfoundnoNZMSinanywatersthatwerestockedbyLoain2007.Sitesamplingwasperformedbyspendingoneman-houroftimeassessingthepresence/absenceofNZMSinhabitatsthataresuspectedtoharborNZMS.

InlightofthefactthatNZMSwerelikelyintroducedintoLoapriorto2007,wereviewedstockingrecordsandidentified22sites(Table3)thatwerestockedbyLoabetween2004and2006thathadnotpreviouslybeensurveyedforNZMS.Thegoalistovisit3-5ofthesesitesperyearuntilallsitesaresampled.In2015,WideHollowReservoir,UpperandLowerBoxCreekReservoirs,andPoseyLakeweresurveyedforNZMS.NoNZMSwerefoundatanyofthesesites.AnupdatedmapshowingthedistributionofNZMSwithinUtahispresentedinFigure7.Todate,noNZMShavebeenfoundatanysitesthatwereformerlystockedbyLoa.SamplingfromadditionalsitesinTable3willbeperformedacrossthenextseveralyears.

Table3:ListofwaterbodiesstockedbytheLoaStateFishHatcherythathadnotpreviouslybeenassessedforthepresenceofNZMS.

WaterBodyYearnsReservoir NavajoLake

BurrastonPonds EnterpriseReservoir,LowerTowneReservoir EnterpriseReservoir,UpperPoseyLake WideHollowReservoirGrantsvilleReservoir PalisadeReservoirGatesLake BoxCreekReservoir,LowerBeaverRiver BoxCreekReservoir,UpperNineMileReservoir AsayCreekColemanReservoir PanguitchLakeSettlementCanyonReservoir SevierRiver,EastForkMinersvilleReservoir MammothCreek

Page 28: New Zealand Mudsnails: Effects on Native Hydrobiid Species, … · 2019-04-10 · 4 Task 1: Effect of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail on the Behavior of Two Native Snails Background

28

Figure7:MapofthedistributionofNZMSwithinUtah.X'srepresentsitescontainingNZMSandO'srepresentsiteslackingNZMS.