@article{WackervonElert2003,
  author    = {Wacker, Alexander and von Elert, Eric},
  title     = {Food quality controls reproduction of the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha)},
  year      = {2003},
  abstract  = {Species such as Dreissena polymorpha sometimes contribute substantially in the transfer of primary to secondary production. During the ontogenetic cycle, the reproductive investment of adult mussels is one of the main parameters that affect recruitment success. We studied how food quality and temperature affect the reproductive investment in term of egg mass of D. polymorpha in a lake by sampling mussels monthly from 4 m and 15 m depths. Temperature affected reproduction directly and also indirectly through the food. To assess whether temperature and/or food conditions led to the differences observed in mussels sampled from the two depths, mussels were reared in the laboratory under two different temperature regimes for 3 months, simulating the temperature of the lake at 4 m and 15 m depth. Possible effects of food quality were tested at each temperature using four diets differing in fatty acid composition. Temperature played an important role as a trigger for spawning, and the type of diet clearly affected the reproductive investment. When the heterokont chromophyte alga Nannochloropsis limnetica, which is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and long-chained PUFAs (>C18), was fed to mussels, an increased egg mass was obtained. This result was in contrast to that found when the green alga Scenedesmus obliquus and the cyanobacterium Aphanothece sp., both of which are deficient in long-chained PUFAs, were offered as food to the mussels. Such a PUFA-dependent food quality may affect reproduction in lakes. Food quality effects vary seasonally in a lake and may be most important in summer, when low-food- quality green algae and cyanobacteria are abundant. The low biochemical quality of these blooms may affect at least the later period of gametogenesis of D. polymorpha, which reproduces from June to August.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WackervonElert2003,
  author    = {Wacker, Alexander and von Elert, Eric},
  title     = {Settlement pattern of the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, as a function of depth in Lake Constance},
  year      = {2003},
  abstract  = {Settlement on suitable substrata under favourable environmental conditions is an important factor for a successful recruitment of adult populations of Dreissena polymorpha. Therefore, the pattern of settlement of zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) larvae at different depths was studied in Lake Constance. Maximum densities of larvae and newly settled juvenile mussels were observed at 4m depth, while only single settlement episodes were recorded at greater depths (15 m and 30 m). Temperature fluctuation was used as a surrogate parameter for internal seiches. Biotic and abiotic parameters were subjected to a principal component analysis (PCA). The tight coupling of the internal seiches, larval abundance and settlement at 4-m depth vs. the lack of coupling of the latter two variables at greater depths indicated that water currents transported settling larvae to the substrata at greater depth. Our data suggest that physical factors, such as boundary mixing and internal seiches, should be considered as sources of variability in settlement.},
  language  = {en}
}