Features of Biocenotic Relations of Anadara kagoshimensis (Bivalvia, Arcidae) in the Kazachya Bay of the Black Sea

Abstract

Bivalve mollusk Anadara kagoshimensis is classified among the top 100 dangerous invasive species of the Mediterranean and Black seas. Using as an example the colonization by Anadara of the Kazachya (Cossack) Bay (Crimea, the Black Sea), the article identifies and discusses biocenotic relations of the mollusk with sea bottom substrates, epibionts, potential environmental competitors, and predator Rapana venosa. Relations of A. kagoshimensis to the complex of phytoepibionts and zooepibionts are presented for the first time. It is shown that Anadara can be an edificator and form a specific complex of algoconsorts and zooconsorts, while playing a positive role in increasing and preserving the species diversity in certain areas of the Black Sea. The increase in biomass and diversity of filter feeders following the occurrence of Anadara in the study region argues in favor of its positive effect on the biocenosis.