Ecological resistance to the invasion of a freshwater clam, Corbicula fluminea : fish predation effects

Abstract

Fish predation is shown to have a twenty nine fold effect on the abundance of the invasive freshwater clam, Corbicula fluminea , in a Texas reservoir. This predation has prevented the clam from establishing the high densities commonly reported for it elsewhere. The high magnitude of the fish effect is attributed to Corbicula being an invader to this reservoir and not being able to cope well with the mix of resident fish species. In the absence of fish, colonization of the reservoir by Corbicula is spatially patchy. When fish interact with these clams, they remove sufficient numbers of individuals from dense patches to create the appearance of a spatially uniform distribution.