title: The role of calcium concentration in the invasive capacity of Corbicula fluminea in crystalline basins.
abstract: The natural variation of environmental factors in freshwater basins determines their biodiversity. Among them, calcium is a key physiological compound for freshwater invertebrates. It is required for shell formation, muscle contraction, it mediates gene expression and allows counteracting acidosis during stress periods, among other functions. Although the distribution of different freshwater species has been suggested to be linked with the environmental calcium concentration, as yet, no research studies have confirmed this. Identifying whether environmental calcium concentrations might determine the invasion success of alien species would be critical in developing and implementing effective management strategies to control them. Here, a multidisciplinary approach integrating field surveys, analytical chemistry techniques, molecular biology analyses and a lab-scale experiment was taken to decipher whether the environmental calcium concentration might hamper the establishment of Corbicula fluminea in northwestern Iberian rivers. A Principal Component Analysis on water chemistry variables from 13 water bodies identified environmental calcium concentration, among others, as one key factor that best characterized the distribution area of C. fluminea. The calcium content in animals' bodies from two representative rivers was dependent on the environmental calcium concentration of freshwater basins; the lower the concentration, the lower the body's content. The expression of stress- and calcium homeostasis-related genes was higher in C. fluminea from low calcium concentration environments than in those from calcium-rich freshwater basins. Finally, under experimental conditions, lower water calcium concentrations decreased C. fluminea growth rates. The present data suggest, for the first time, that environmental calcium concentration may act as a determinant factor on the invasion success of C. fluminea in freshwater environments. Our results provide new clues for the identification of basins with increased risk of potential invasion by C. fluminea based on environmental calcium levels.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ecología y Biología Animal, Facultad de Biología, Campus As Lagoas - Marcosende, Universidad de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain; ECIMAT - Estación de Ciencias Mariñas de Toralla, Illa de Toralla, 36331 Vigo, Spain. Electronic address: noeferreira@uvigo.es.
authors.forename: Noé
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ferreira-Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), University of Algarve, Campus of Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal. Electronic address: nacfm@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Varandas
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cortes
authors.affiliation: Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), University of Algarve, Campus of Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal; Department of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal.
authors.forename: M Leonor
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Cancela
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ecología y Biología Animal, Facultad de Biología, Campus As Lagoas - Marcosende, Universidad de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain; ECIMAT - Estación de Ciencias Mariñas de Toralla, Illa de Toralla, 36331 Vigo, Spain.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pardo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000032:analysis*; D049874:Corbicula / Q000254:growth & development*; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D058865:Introduced Species
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium
keywords: Alien species; Calcium; Corbicula fluminea; Gene expression; Growth rate; Invasiveness