Comparative sensitivity of European native (Anodonta anatina) and exotic (Corbicula fluminea) bivalves to mercury

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Pollution is believed to be an important factor modulating the competition between exotic invasive bivalves and their native competitors. Thus, the objective of the present study was to compare the sensitivity of the European native Anodonta anatina and the exotic invasive species Corbicula fluminea to mercury, a ubiquitous environmental contaminant of high concern. In laboratory acute bioassays, adult organisms of both species were exposed independently to mercury for 96 h (31–500 μg/L). The criteria indicative of toxicity were mortality and biomarkers of oxidative stress and damage, neurotoxicity, and energy production changes. Mercury induced mortality in A. anatina (72 h-LC10 and 72 h-LC50 of 14.0 μg/L and 49.6 μg/L, respectively) but not in C. fluminea. The ability of C. fluminea to maintaining the shell closed for considerable periods of time when exposed to high concentrations of mercury and the effective activation (up to 63 μg/L) of mechanisms against the oxidative stress caused by mercury may have contributed to its relatively low sensitivity. In the range of concentrations tested, mercury had no significant effects on the other parameters analysed in C. fluminea. Overall, the findings of the present study, suggest that in real scenarios of competition between C. fluminea and A. anatina populations, the presence of mercury may modulate the process, acting in favour of the exotic species because it is less sensitive to this environmental contaminant than the native bivalve. The results of the present study highlight the need of further investigation on the effects of mercury on the competition between exotic invasive species and their native competitors, especially the effects potentially induced by long-term exposure to low concentrations of this metal, the mechanisms involved in the tolerance to mercury-induced stress, and the potential post-exposure recovery of both exotic invasive and native bivalves. This knowledge is most important for environmental management and assessment of the risks associated with the consumption of bivalves by humans.