Boets, P.

Goethals, P.

Lock, K.

Open Marine Archive

Science Facing Aliens – Brussels, May 11th 2009 20 
Alien macro-crustaceans in freshwater ecosystems in Flanders 
 
Boets Pieter, Lock Koen and Goethals Peter L.M. 
 
Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, B-9000 
Ghent, Belgium 
 
During the last decades, the spread of aquatic alien species has increased 
enormously. Range extensions of exotic species have been facilitated by the 
interconnection of river basins and increased shipping. Invasive species are 
considered as an important component in the decline of diversity of communities and 
the abundance of other species in freshwater ecosystems. Besides their ecological 
impact, alien species are considered to cause worldwide economical damage. 
Currently, eighteen alien macro-crustaceans have been found in freshwater 
ecosystems in Flanders. One of these invasive species is the Ponto-Caspian invader 
Dikerogammarus villosus, which has invaded most of Europe since the beginning of 
the 1990s, mainly as result of the opening of the Main-Danube canal. This species 
was recorded for the first time in the east of Flanders in 1997. In order to assess the 
potential effect of this species on other macroinvertebrates, laboratory experiments 
as well as field observations were conducted. All types of prey that were used in 
predator-prey experiments were consumed by D. villosus, especially species that 
were less mobile such as Chironomidae. Substrate preference experiments indicated 
that D. villosus preferred a stony substrate. Using decisions trees to model field 
observations, it could be concluded that D. villosus could mainly be found in habitats 
with an artificial bank structure, a high oxygen concentration and a low conductivity, 
which corresponds with the canals where it has been observed mostly in Flanders. 
 
Boets P, Lock K, Goethals PLM, submitted. Combining datadriven methods and lab studies 
to analyse the ecology of Dikerogammarus villosus. Special issue Ecological 
informatics. 
 
 
 


Alien macro-crustaceans in freshwater ecosystems in Flanders

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