Data from: Long-term population dynamics of dreissenid mussels (Dreissena polymorpha and D. rostriformis): a cross-system analysis

Dreissenid mussels (including the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha and the quagga mussel D. rostriformis) are among the world's most notorious invasive species, with large and widespread ecological and economic effects. However, their long‐term population dynamics are poorly known, even though these dynamics are critical to determining impacts and effective management. We gathered and analyzed 67 long‐term (>10 yr) data sets on dreissenid populations from lakes and rivers across Europe and North America. We addressed five questions: (1) How do Dreissena populations change through time? (2) Specifically, do Dreissena populations decline substantially after an initial outbreak phase? (3) Do different measures of population performance (biomass or density of settled animals, veliger density, recruitment of young) follow the same patterns through time? (4) How do the numbers or biomass of zebra mussels or of both species combined change after the quagga mussel arrives? (5) How does body size change over time? We also considered whether current data on long‐term dynamics of Dreissena populations are adequate for science and management. Individual Dreissena populations showed a wide range of temporal dynamics, but we could detect only two general patterns that applied across many populations: (1) Populations of both species increased rapidly in the first 1–2 yr after appearance, and (2) quagga mussels appeared later than zebra mussels and usually quickly caused large declines in zebra mussel populations. We found little evidence that combined Dreissena populations declined over the long term. Different measures of population performance were not congruent; the temporal dynamics of one life stage or population attribute cannot generally be accurately inferred from the dynamics of another. We found no consistent patterns in the long‐term dynamics of body size. The long‐term dynamics of Dreissena populations probably are driven by the ecological characteristics (e.g., predation, nutrient inputs, water temperature) and their temporal changes at individual sites rather than following a generalized time course that applies across many sites. Existing long‐term data sets on dreissenid populations, although clearly valuable, are inadequate to meet research and management needs. Data sets could be improved by standardizing sampling designs and methods, routinely collecting more variables, and increasing support.

饰贝科贝类（Dreissenid mussels），包括斑马贻贝（Dreissena polymorpha）与纹斑贻贝（D. rostriformis），是全球臭名昭著的入侵物种之一，可造成规模宏大、影响广泛的生态与经济损害。尽管种群长期动态对于评估其生态危害、制定高效管理策略至关重要，但学界对其认知仍较为匮乏。本研究收集并分析了来自欧洲与北美各地湖泊、河流的67组时长超过10年的斑贝种群长期数据集，并针对5个核心问题开展分析：（1）斑贝种群随时间呈现怎样的变化规律？（2）具体而言，斑贝种群在初始暴发阶段后是否会出现显著衰退？（3）不同的种群表现评估指标（定栖个体生物量/密度、面盘幼虫（veliger）密度、幼体补充量）是否随时间呈现一致的动态模式？（4）纹斑贻贝入侵后，斑马贻贝的种群数量/生物量，或是两类斑贝的总种群数量/生物量会发生何种变化？（5）斑贝的个体体型随时间如何变化？此外，本研究还评估了当前斑贝种群长期动态数据集是否足以支撑科研与管理实践。单个斑贝种群的时间动态差异显著，但本研究仅能识别出两类适用于多数种群的通用动态模式：（1）两类斑贝在首次出现后的1~2年内均会快速增殖；（2）纹斑贻贝的入侵时间通常晚于斑马贻贝，且会快速导致斑马贻贝种群出现大幅衰退。本研究未发现斑贝总种群长期衰退的显著证据。不同种群表现指标的动态并不一致，通常无法通过某一生活史阶段或种群特征的动态，准确推断另一阶段或特征的变化规律。本研究未发现斑贝个体体型长期动态存在统一规律。斑贝种群的长期动态可能由各研究位点的生态特征（如捕食压力、营养输入、水温）及其随时间的变化所驱动，而非遵循适用于多数位点的通用时间序列模式。现有斑贝种群长期数据集虽具有明确的学术与应用价值，但仍不足以满足科研与管理需求。可通过标准化采样设计与方法、常规采集更多变量指标以及加大资源支持力度来完善相关数据集。