Tobias Leister

25.03.2025

Invasive gobiid fishes (Gobiidae) as hosts for native freshwater mussels (Unionidae) in oxbows of the Danube in Austria

MSc student
Supervisor: Harald Ahnelt

BOKU University
Institute of Hydrology and Water Management

Abstract

Freshwater mussels are important bioindicators and act as ecosystem engineers. They have a parasitic larval stage, the glochidium, which needs fishes as hosts. The glochidia attach themselves externally and on the gills of the host fishes. In this study, the interaction between native freshwater mussels and invasive gobiid fishes in oxbows of the Danube is investigated.