Interacciones entre el mejillón dorado y macroinvertebrados bentónicos nativos del Río Uruguay

The ecosystem effects of Limnoperna fortunei have been studied nationally in recent years. However, the interactions that this invader establishes with the native benthic fauna have not been determined in detail. The objective of this study was to collect information on the interactions between the golden mussel and macroinvertebrates native to the Uruguay River, through (a) bibliographic survey, (b) photographic record obtained in the field and (c) analysis of data from an experiment of colonization carried out previously on rocky shores of this river. The interactions reported in the bibliography mainly referred to direct interactions of L. fortunei biofouling on native bivalve and gastropod species, with a potential negative effect for these individuals. The photographic documentation specifically made it possible to report for the first time in the region, a direct interaction of L. fortunei with the Spongillidae family, through which these porifers cover and suffocate already settled mussels. Finally, through the experiment carried out in situ, it was found that the mussel generates indirect negative effects on some native benthic macroinvertebrates. According to the data analysis, a high abundance of settled mussels is related to a reduction in the abundances of two of the dominant native benthic groups of this river, such as gastropods and dipterans.