LTREB: Developing a Long-term Perspective on the Response of an Aquatic Ecosystem to an Invasive Bivalve

外来物种的引入是人类影响全球生态系统的主要方式之一。外来物种已被证明会改变生态系统的化学和物理特性及其物种组成。然而，我们对入侵物种如何与生态系统相互作用的了解仍然不完整。许多入侵物种研究的一个重要问题是，它们在物种到达后不久就完成了。如果系统表现出瞬态动力学，或者如果系统是由每年不同的因素驱动的，并且与入侵者相互作用，那么这种短期研究的结果可能会产生误导。这两种情况在真实的生态系统中都很常见。这个LTREB项目将探讨哈德逊河生态系统对斑马贻贝入侵的短暂和长期反应。这个小组从1986年开始观察哈德逊的生态系统。1991年哈德逊河出现斑马贻贝，并很快引起了河流中浮游植物、浮游动物、细菌、底栖动物、光质、营养盐和溶解氧的剧烈变化。在过去的几年里，已经开始出现的证据表明，在入侵的最初几年所做的一些观察可能是短暂的反应，并可能不代表哈德逊河的斑马贻贝入侵的长期反应。这项长期研究的总体目标是确定入侵物种与生态系统之间的相互作用是否发生了显著变化，以及生态系统的短期反应是否足以代表其长期反应。这项工作将有助于确定斑马贻贝和其他双壳类在水生生态系统中的作用，推进我们对大型河流生态系统的理解，并阐明入侵物种和生态系统相互适应的相互作用。

0075265StrayerIntroductions of exotic species are one of the major ways by which humans affect ecosystems globally. Exotic species have been shown to change the chemical and physical properties of ecosystems, as well as their species composition. Nevertheless, our knowledge of how invasive species interact with ecosystems is still incomplete. An important problem with many studies of invasive species is that they are done soon after the species arrives. The results of such short-term studies may be misleading if the system shows transient dynamics or if the system is driven by factors that vary from year to year, and which interact with the invader. Both of these circumstances are common in real ecosystems. This LTREB project will explore the transient and long-term response of the Hudson River ecosystem to the zebra mussel invasion. This group has been observing the Hudson ecosystem since 1986. Zebra mussels appeared in the Hudson in 1991, and soon caused dramatic changes to the phytoplankton, zooplankton, bacteria, zoobenthos, light quality, nutrients and dissolved oxygen in the river. Over the last few years, evidence has begun to appear that some of the observations made in the early years of the invasion may be transient responses, and may not represent the long-term response of the Hudson River to the zebra mussel invasion. The overall objective of this long-term study is to determine if the interaction between the invasive species and the ecosystem is changing significantly, and if the short-term response of the ecosystem adequately represents its long-term response. This work will help to define the roles of the zebra mussel and other bivalves in aquatic ecosystems, advance our understanding of large river ecosystems, and elucidate the interactions that occur as an invasive species and an ecosystem accommodate one another.