Temperature-Related Responses of an Invasive Mussel and 2 Unionid Mussels to Elevated Carbon Dioxide

Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) have exacerbated the decline of native freshwater mussels (order Unionida) in North America since their arrival in the 1980s. Options for controlling invasive mussels, particularly in unionid mussel habitats, are limited. Previously, carbon dioxide (CO₂ ) showed selective toxicity for zebra mussels, relative to unionids, when applied in cool water (12 °C). We first determined 96-h lethal concentrations of CO₂ at 5 and 20 °C to zebra mussels and responses of juvenile plain pocketbook (Lampsilis cardium). Next, we compared the time to lethality for zebra mussels at 5, 12, and 20 °C during exposure to partial pressure of CO₂ (PCO₂ ) values of 110 to 120 atm (1 atm = 101.325 kPa) and responses of juvenile plain pocketbook and fragile papershell (Leptodea fragilis). We found efficacious CO₂ treatment regimens at each temperature that were minimally lethal to unionids. At 5 °C, plain pocketbook survived 96-h exposure to the highest PCO₂ treatment (139 atm). At 20 °C, the 96-h lethal concentration to 10% of animals (LC10) for plain pocketbook (173 atm PCO₂ , 95% CI 147-198 atm) was higher than the LC99 for zebra mussels (118 atm PCO₂ , 95% CI 109-127 atm). Lethal time to 99% mortality (LT99) of zebra mussels in 110 to 120 atm PCO₂ ranged from 100 h at 20 °C to 300 h at 5 °C. Mean survival of both plain pocketbook and fragile papershell juveniles exceeded 85% in LT99 CO₂ treatments at all temperatures. Short-term infusion of 100 to 200 atm PCO₂ at a range of water temperatures could reduce biofouling by zebra mussels with limited adverse effects on unionid mussels. Environ Toxicol Chem 2020;39:1546-1557. Published 2020. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.