Gammarus fossarum explained

Gammarus fossarum is a species complex of freshwater amphipod crustacean native to Europe. They are abundant members of the macroinvertebrate community, and also used as model organisms for ecotoxicology.[1]

Description

Gammarus fossarum go through nine or ten moults of their exoskeleton before reaching sexual maturity; weighing just 0.1 mg at birth, by adulthood they have a wet weight of 5 to 7 mg.[2] Adult G. fossarum are between 4.5 and 10 mm in length,[3] and weigh up to 41 (females) to 61 (males) mg wet weight.

Distribution

Gammarus fossarum are widely distributed throughout central and southeastern Europe.[4] They are found in France,[5] Italy, Germany,[6] Switzerland,[7] Austria,[8] Slovenia,[9] Serbia,[10] the Netherlands,[11] Belgium,[12] Hungary,[13] Croatia, Albania, Bulgaria, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It was previously thought to be a single species based on morphological characteristics, however genetic and genomic research has revealed additional diversity within G. fossarum. Mitochondrial DNA showed that there were three distinct clades in central Europe, subsequently called types A, B, and C.[14] More recent population genetic analyses on amphipods from across the entire distribution range of G. fossarum have revealed that it is in fact a species complex of at least 80 cryptic species. Thesee analyses found at least six major clades, located in Central Western Europe (CWE), Central Eastern Europe (CEE), South Eastern Europe (SEE), France and Central Europe (CRA-CE-A), Eastern Europe (EE-Q), and Central Europe (CE-B). The clades diverged at least 20 million years ago, during the Miocene. Populations can be highly differentiated even at the regional and local scales due to genetic drift.[15]

Gammarus fossarum are now found also outside their native range. They were detected in the United Kingdom using environmental DNA sampling in 2015.[16]

Ecology

Gammarus fossarum prefer flowing, well-oxygenated water and are often found in smaller and mid-sized streams, particularly in hilly and mountainous areas.[17] They can be found in densities up to hundreds of individuals per square meter.

Gammarus fossarum are omnivorous. They are known for their shredding of leaf litter detritus that enters streams and waterways from the surrounding forest, but G. fossarum also feed on other macroinvertebrates.[18] In many locations, G. fossarum co-occur with other amphipod species, and the species engage in intraguild predation.[19] G. fossarum are prey for larger aquatic animals, such as fish.[20]

Before mating, male and female G. fossarum form precopulatory pairs and move together in their environments.[21] This behavior lasts for several days and both males and large females have some element of mate choice.[22]

Gammarus fossarum are parasitized by a number of taxa, including acanthocephalans.[23]

Use in ecotoxicology

Gammarus fossarum are a common animal to use in bioassessment and ecotoxicology. Their survival,[24] growth,[25] reproduction,[26] activity levels, physiology, and food consumption[27] are used as indicators of environmental conditions, including acidity, nanoparticles, wastewater effluent, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals.

Notes and References

  1. Mehennaoui . Kahina . Georgantzopoulou . Anastasia . Felten . Vincent . Andreï . Jennifer . Garaud . Maël . Cambier . Sébastien . Serchi . Tommaso . Pain-Devin . Sandrine . Guérold . François . Audinot . Jean-Nicolas . Giambérini . Laure . Gutleb . Arno C. . 2016-10-01 . Gammarus fossarum (Crustacea, Amphipoda) as a model organism to study the effects of silver nanoparticles . Science of the Total Environment . en . 566-567 . 1649–1659 . 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.06.068 . 27328878 . 2016ScTEn.566.1649M . 0048-9697.
  2. Pockl . Manfred . 1992 . Effects of temperature, age and body size on moulting and growth in the freshwater amphipods Gammarus fossarum and G. roeseli . Freshwater Biology . en . 27 . 2 . 211–225 . 10.1111/j.1365-2427.1992.tb00534.x . 1992FrBio..27..211P . 0046-5070.
  3. Beracko . Pavel . Sýkorová . Anna . Štangler . Andrej . 2012-02-01 . Life history, secondary production and population dynamics of Gammarus fossarum (Koch, 1836) in a constant temperature stream . Biologia . en . 67 . 1 . 164–171 . 10.2478/s11756-011-0148-5 . 2012Biolg..67..164B . 18554389 . 1336-9563. free .
  4. Wattier . Remi . Mamos . Tomasz . Copilaş-Ciocianu . Denis . Jelić . Mišel . Ollivier . Anthony . Chaumot . Arnaud . Danger . Michael . Felten . Vincent . Piscart . Christophe . Žganec . Krešimir . Rewicz . Tomasz . Wysocka . Anna . Rigaud . Thierry . Grabowski . Michał . 2020-10-06 . Continental-scale patterns of hyper-cryptic diversity within the freshwater model taxon Gammarus fossarum (Crustacea, Amphipoda) . Scientific Reports . en . 10 . 1 . 16536 . 10.1038/s41598-020-73739-0 . 33024224 . 7538970 . 2045-2322.
  5. Web site: Gammarus fossarum Koch, 1836 . 2022-08-23 . Inventaire National du Patrimoine Naturel.
  6. Janetzky . Wolfgang . 1994 . Distribution of the genus Gammarus (Amphipoda: Gammaridae) in the River Hunte and its tributaries (Lower Saxony, northern Germany) . Hydrobiologia . 294 . 23–34 . 10.1007/BF00017622 . 41985494 . SpringerLink.
  7. Altermatt . Florian . Alther . Roman . Fišer . Cene . Jokela . Jukka . Konec . Marjeta . Küry . Daniel . Mächler . Elvira . Stucki . Pascal . Westram . Anja Marie . 2014-10-29 . Diversity and Distribution of Freshwater Amphipod Species in Switzerland (Crustacea: Amphipoda) . PLOS ONE . en . 9 . 10 . e110328 . 10.1371/journal.pone.0110328 . 1932-6203 . 4212965 . 25354099. 2014PLoSO...9k0328A . free .
  8. Pockl . M. . Humpesch . U. H. . 1990 . Intra- and inter-specific variations in egg survival and brood development time for Austrian populations of Gammarus fossarum and G. roeseli (Crustacea: Amphipoda) . Freshwater Biology . en . 23 . 3 . 441–455 . 10.1111/j.1365-2427.1990.tb00286.x . 0046-5070.
  9. Fišer . Cene . Keber . Rok . Kereži . Vesna . Moškrič . Ajda . Palandančić . Anja . Petkovska . Vesna . Potočnik . Hubert . Sket . Boris . 2007-12-01 . Coexistence of species of two amphipod genera: Niphargus timavi (Niphargidae) and Gammarus fossarum (Gammaridae) . Journal of Natural History . 41 . 41–44 . 2641–2651 . 10.1080/00222930701661225 . 2007JNatH..41.2641F . 84296267 . 0022-2933.
  10. Živić . Ivana . Marković . Zoran . 2007 . Distribution of the Species Gammarus balcanicus and Gammarus fossarum on the Territory of Serbia (Central Part of the Balkan Peninsula) . Crustaceana . 80 . 1 . 67–76 . 10.1163/156854007779696523 . 20107783 . 0011-216X.
  11. Nijssen . H . 1963 . Some notes on the distribution and the ecology of the amphipod Gammarus fossarum Koch, 1835, in the Netherlands (Crustacea, Malacostraca) . Beaufortia . 116 . 10 . 40–43.
  12. Scheepmaker . Maarten . Dalfsen . Jan van . 1989-01-01 . Genetic differentiation in Gammarus fossarum and G. caparti (Crustacea, Amphipoda) with reference to G. pulex pulex in northwestern Europe . Bijdragen tot de Dierkunde . en . 59 . 3 . 127–139 . 10.1163/26660644-05903001 . 0067-8546. free .
  13. Weiss . Martina . Macher . Jan Niklas . Seefeldt . Meike Anna . Leese . Florian . 2014-01-01 . Molecular evidence for further overlooked species within the Gammarus fossarum complex (Crustacea: Amphipoda) . Hydrobiologia . en . 721 . 1 . 165–184 . 10.1007/s10750-013-1658-7 . 14329912 . 1573-5117.
  14. Müller . Jakob . 2000-05-01 . Mitochondrial DNA Variation and the Evolutionary History of Cryptic Gammarus fossarum Types . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . en . 15 . 2 . 260–268 . 10.1006/mpev.1999.0740 . 10837155 . 1055-7903.
  15. Weiss . Martina . Leese . Florian . 2016-07-29 . Widely distributed and regionally isolated! Drivers of genetic structure in Gammarus fossarum in a human-impacted landscape . BMC Evolutionary Biology . 16 . 1 . 153 . 10.1186/s12862-016-0723-z . 1471-2148 . 4966747 . 27473498 . 2016BMCEE..16..153W . free .
  16. Blackman . Rosetta C . Constable . Drew . Hahn . Christoph . Sheard . Andrew M. . Durkota . Jessica . Hänfling . Bernd . Lawson Handley . Lori . 2017 . Detection of a new non-native freshwater species by DNA metabarcoding of environmental samples – first record of Gammarus fossarum in the UK . Aquatic Invasions . 12 . 2 . 177–189. 10.3391/ai.2017.12.2.06 .
  17. Pöckl . Manfred . Webb . Bruce W. . Sutcliffe . David W. . 2003 . Life history and reproductive capacity of Gammarus fossarum and G. roeseli (Crustacea: Amphipoda) under naturally fluctuating water temperatures: a simulation study: Natural thermal regimes and reproductive capacity of Gammarus spp. . Freshwater Biology . en . 48 . 1 . 53–66 . 10.1046/j.1365-2427.2003.00967.x.
  18. Syrovátka . Vít . Zhai . Marie . Bojková . Jindřiška . Šorfová . Vanda . Horsák . Michal . 2020-06-01 . Native Gammarus fossarum affects species composition of macroinvertebrate communities: evidence from laboratory, field enclosures, and natural habitat . Aquatic Ecology . en . 54 . 2 . 505–518 . 10.1007/s10452-020-09756-y . 2020AqEco..54..505S . 211074697 . 1573-5125.
  19. Kinzler . Werner . Maier . Gerhard . 2003-08-01 . Asymmetry in mutual predation: possible reason for the replacement of native gammarids by invasives . Archiv für Hydrobiologie . 157 . 4 . en . 473–481 . 10.1127/0003-9136/2003/0157-0473.
  20. Kinzler . Werner . Maier . Gerhard . 2006-02-01 . Selective predation by fish: a further reason for the decline of native gammarids in the presence of invasives? . Journal of Limnology . en . 65 . 1 . 27–34 . 10.4081/jlimnol.2006.27 . 1723-8633. free .
  21. Lagrue . Clement . Wattier . Remi . Galipaud . Matthias . Gauthey . Zoe . Rullmann . Jean-Paul . Dubreuil . Christine . Rigaud . Thierry . Bollache . Loic . 2014 . Confrontation of cryptic diversity and mate discrimination within Gammarus pulex and Gammarus fossarum species complexes . Freshwater Biology . en . 59 . 12 . 2555–2570 . 10.1111/fwb.12453. 2014FrBio..59.2555L .
  22. Sutcliffe . David W. . 1992 . Reproduction in Gammarus (Crustacea, Amphipoda): basic processes . Library@fba.org.uk . en . 0961-4664.
  23. Labaude . Sophie . Rigaud . Thierry . Cézilly . Frank . 2017 . Additive effects of temperature and infection with an acanthocephalan parasite on the shredding activity of Gammarus fossarum (Crustacea: Amphipoda): the importance of aggregative behavior . Global Change Biology . en . 23 . 4 . 1415–1424 . 10.1111/gcb.13490 . 27591398 . 2017GCBio..23.1415L . 23739658 . 1354-1013.
  24. Bundschuh . Mirco . Zubrod . Jochen P. . Klemm . Patricia . Elsaesser . David . Stang . Christoph . Schulz . Ralf . 2013-09-01 . Effects of peak exposure scenarios on Gammarus fossarum using field relevant pesticide mixtures . Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety . en . 95 . 137–143 . 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2013.05.025 . 23790476 . 0147-6513.
  25. Dietrich . Sabine . Dammel . Shana . Ploessl . Florian . Bracher . Franz . Laforsch . Christian . 2010-02-25 . Effects of a pharmaceutical mixture at environmentally relevant concentrations on the amphipod Gammarus fossarum . Marine and Freshwater Research . en . 61 . 2 . 196–203 . 10.1071/MF09048 . 1448-6059.
  26. Wigh . Adriana . Geffard . Olivier . Abbaci . Khedidja . Francois . Adeline . Noury . Patrice . Bergé . Alexandre . Vulliet . Emmanuelle . Domenjoud . Bruno . Gonzalez-Ospina . Adriana . Bony . Sylvie . Devaux . Alain . 2017-04-15 . Gammarus fossarum as a sensitive tool to reveal residual toxicity of treated wastewater effluents . The Science of the Total Environment . 584-585 . 1012–1021 . 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.01.154 . 1879-1026 . 28174047. 2017ScTEn.584.1012W .
  27. Dangles . Olivier . Guérold . François . 2001 . Linking Shredders and Leaf Litter Processing: Insights from an Acidic Stream Study . Hydrobiology . 86 . 4–5 . 395–406. 10.1002/1522-2632(200107)86:4/5<395::AID-IROH395>3.0.CO;2-1 .

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