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Abstract
Pinna nobilis and its guests Pontonia pinnophylax and Nepinnotheres pinnotheres were sampled from Posidonia oceanica meadows invaded and non-invaded by the red alga Lophocladia lallemandii . Understanding the interactions among native and invasive species was the primary aim. Therefore, the effects of the invasive L. lallemandii on the percentage contribution of the food sources of P. nobilis and its guests and their trophic associations were investigated by applying mixing models to the δ 13 C and δ 15 N stable isotopes. Isotopic analyses revealed that the guests of P. nobilis occupied a higher trophic level than their host due to their capacity for food selection. The invasion of L. lallemandii altered the percentage contribution of the food sources to the consumers’ diet. Whereas the percentage contribution of the food sources to the δ 13 C signatures did not really change, L. lallemandii produced variations in the percentage contribution to the δ 15 N signatures. This red macroalga represented one of the main food sources for P. nobilis , with a real contribution of 19.4% in the invaded meadows. Moreover, L. lallemandii slightly decreased the trophic level of the consumers. This study provides the first isotopic and trophic data for the pea crab N. pinnotheres .
Highlights
Interactions between native and introduced species represent a threat to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (Galil, 2007)
L. lallemandii slightly decreased the trophic level of the consumers
In order to minimise the impact on local populations, only 24 individuals of P. nobilis were randomly collected (11 individuals in a P. oceanica meadow invaded by L. lallemandii and 13 individuals in a non-invaded meadow) in summer 2007 by experienced scuba divers under license from the appropriate institutions
Summary
Interactions between native and introduced species represent a threat to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (Galil, 2007). The bivalve P. nobilis is a long-lived species (Butler et al, 1993; Galinou-Mitsoudi et al, 2006) that is endemic in the Mediterranean Sea, being one of the largest bivalves in the world (García-March, 2003). The fan mussel P. nobilis is a benthic suspension feeder that can colonise different substrates such as bare sand bottoms (Katsanevakis, 2007) and soft-bottom areas overgrown by seagrass meadows at depths ranging from 0.5 to 60 m (Zavodnik et al, 1991) In these areas, the fan mussel lives partially buried in the sand, usually anchored among P. oceanica shoots and hidden by the leaves of the canopy (García-March et al, 2002)
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