The roles of spatial and environmental variables in the appearance of a globally invasive Physa acuta in water bodies created due to human activity

• Published in: The Science of the total environment Vol. 744; p. 140928
• Main Authors: Cieplok, A., Spyra, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 20.11.2020
• Subjects: ammonia; climate change; cluster analysis; community structure; Environmental factors; freshwater; Human activity; humans; hydrochemistry; indigenous species; Industrial ponds; introduced species; Invasion; Physella acuta; pollution; salinity; Snails; Water bodies; Water bodies; Industrial ponds; Environmental factors; Snails; Human activity; Invasion
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140928
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026

Anthropogenic pollution of freshwater environments is a subject of serious international concern since they affect freshwater and land environments. The disturbances in the functioning of ecosystems that result from various forms of human activity permit them to be settled by alien species. Research was carried out in 84 anthropogenic water bodies using quantitative methods for sampling, laboratory analysis and multivariate statistical methods. The appearance of P. acuta in these water bodies seems to depend on their water chemistry. Physa acuta primarily occurred in waters with a very low content of ammonia, medium salinity and hardness, and in waters with a higher pH. The density of P. acuta decreased along with its dominance index, which indicates that in water bodies in which its density was low, the other snail species achieved higher densities. This suggest competitive displacement of native species at high densities of P. acuta. Cluster analysis showed that water bodies in which P. acuta was abundant were similar in the snail community composition in contrast to water bodies in which it wasn't present. Research on colonisation of freshwater habitats by alien species in freshwater habitats is important because in the future, the number of alien species is likely to increase as a result of climate change and their ability to overcome the existing barriers as well as with the progressive colonisation of new areas outside of their native range. [Display omitted] •Different disturbances in the ecosystems permit their settlement by P. acuta.•P. acuta appear depend on the water chemistry in anthropogenic water bodies.•Tendency to occur in waters with moderate pollution, medium salinity, high pH.•Decreasing density of P. acuta conduce high densities of native species.•The age, depth or surface area of water body did not affect P. acuta occurrence.