Barcoding of non-indigenous bivalve mollusks in the BIOALPEC Project (NBFC, PNRR)

The introduction of invasive alien species (IAS), caused by human activities, has become a global problem, with significant impacts on local biodiversity, threatening ecosystem services and reducing resource availability. Since the discovery of Dreissena polymorpha in 1970, several non-indigenous species (NIS), in particular bivalve mollusks, have been found in Lake Garda in recent years. In the framework of the BIOALPEC Project (Biodiversity of Alpine ecosystems in a changing world) funded by the National Biodiversity Future Centre (NBFC, Spoke 3), a specific activity involves the genetic analysis of non-indigenous bivalve mollusks from Lake Garda and other water bodies in the perialpine regions using the mitochondrial COI gene (mtDNA COI). Here we report some preliminary results obtained in Lake Garda. Specimens, collected with a Ponar grab, were identified by both shell morphology and genetic analysis. The most common bivalve species were Dreissena polymorpha and the new invader Dreissena bugensis, recorded in 2022. The genus Corbicula was represented by three species, the most common being Corbicula fluminea, while C. fluminalis and C. leana were rarer, as was the Chinese pond mussel Sinanodonta woodiana.