Not a Silent Invasion: The Reaction of European Naturalists to the Spread of Zebra Mussel (<i>Dreissena polymorpha</i>) in the 19th—Early 20th Century

The case of naturalization of the zebra mussel, <i>Dreissena polymorpha</i> (Pallas, 1771), in countries lying beyond its native Ponto–Caspian range is remarkable as one of the first instances when the scientific community as early as the mid-19th century was fully aware of the non-indig...

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Main Author: Maxim V. Vinarski
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-12-01
Series:Diversity
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/12/1203
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author Maxim V. Vinarski
author_facet Maxim V. Vinarski
author_sort Maxim V. Vinarski
collection DOAJ
description The case of naturalization of the zebra mussel, <i>Dreissena polymorpha</i> (Pallas, 1771), in countries lying beyond its native Ponto–Caspian range is remarkable as one of the first instances when the scientific community as early as the mid-19th century was fully aware of the non-indigenous status of a particular species as well as of the need for the study and monitoring of this process. Based on a study of contemporary sources, I reconstruct the early response of European naturalists (including those who today would be called “citizen scientist”) to the invasion of <i>Dreissena</i> and describe their attitudes to the problem, including the divergence in opinion about the origin and the means of dispersal of this bivalve species. An analysis of papers published in English, French, German, and Russian between 1774 and 1920 showed that the invasion of <i>D. polymorpha</i> was by no means “silent”; quite the opposite, it provoked an immediate reaction from naturalists. The scientific agenda for the study of the new invader was proposed in England as early as 1838.
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spelling doaj.art-3ca13ee928b9486e951c29b0352b2cf82023-12-22T14:03:49ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182023-12-011512120310.3390/d15121203Not a Silent Invasion: The Reaction of European Naturalists to the Spread of Zebra Mussel (<i>Dreissena polymorpha</i>) in the 19th—Early 20th CenturyMaxim V. Vinarski0Laboratory of Macroecology & Biogeography of Invertebrates, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, RussiaThe case of naturalization of the zebra mussel, <i>Dreissena polymorpha</i> (Pallas, 1771), in countries lying beyond its native Ponto–Caspian range is remarkable as one of the first instances when the scientific community as early as the mid-19th century was fully aware of the non-indigenous status of a particular species as well as of the need for the study and monitoring of this process. Based on a study of contemporary sources, I reconstruct the early response of European naturalists (including those who today would be called “citizen scientist”) to the invasion of <i>Dreissena</i> and describe their attitudes to the problem, including the divergence in opinion about the origin and the means of dispersal of this bivalve species. An analysis of papers published in English, French, German, and Russian between 1774 and 1920 showed that the invasion of <i>D. polymorpha</i> was by no means “silent”; quite the opposite, it provoked an immediate reaction from naturalists. The scientific agenda for the study of the new invader was proposed in England as early as 1838.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/12/1203zebra musseldispersalnatural historycitizen scienceinvasion ecologyhistory of zoology
spellingShingle Maxim V. Vinarski
Not a Silent Invasion: The Reaction of European Naturalists to the Spread of Zebra Mussel (<i>Dreissena polymorpha</i>) in the 19th—Early 20th Century
Diversity
zebra mussel
dispersal
natural history
citizen science
invasion ecology
history of zoology
title Not a Silent Invasion: The Reaction of European Naturalists to the Spread of Zebra Mussel (<i>Dreissena polymorpha</i>) in the 19th—Early 20th Century
title_full Not a Silent Invasion: The Reaction of European Naturalists to the Spread of Zebra Mussel (<i>Dreissena polymorpha</i>) in the 19th—Early 20th Century
title_fullStr Not a Silent Invasion: The Reaction of European Naturalists to the Spread of Zebra Mussel (<i>Dreissena polymorpha</i>) in the 19th—Early 20th Century
title_full_unstemmed Not a Silent Invasion: The Reaction of European Naturalists to the Spread of Zebra Mussel (<i>Dreissena polymorpha</i>) in the 19th—Early 20th Century
title_short Not a Silent Invasion: The Reaction of European Naturalists to the Spread of Zebra Mussel (<i>Dreissena polymorpha</i>) in the 19th—Early 20th Century
title_sort not a silent invasion the reaction of european naturalists to the spread of zebra mussel i dreissena polymorpha i in the 19th early 20th century
topic zebra mussel
dispersal
natural history
citizen science
invasion ecology
history of zoology
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/12/1203
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