The basket shell, Corbula gibba Olivi, 1792 (Bivalve Mollusks) as a species resistant to environmental disturbances: A review

Abstract

         Structural changes in bottom communities in many coastal and offshore areas result from enhanced eutrophication and are characterized by the presence of species that are tolerant to a wide range of environmental disturbances. In soft bottom communities that are degraded or recovering from stress, Corbula gibba appears to be a highly abundant, ecologically important species and, therefore, an interesting subject for investigation. The literature compiled in this review reveals that, Corbula is a short-lived species with high fecundity, enormous production of small eggs, and a prolonged spawning season. The fertilization of spawned eggs in open waters is followed by pelagic development of larvae, accompanied by dispersal sometimes far from the mother population. High larvae settlement frequently appears as a “recruitment boom” in a new community after a catastrophe, making Corbula a short-term dominant species until the perished invertebrate species repopulate. As a dominant suspension feeder with rapid juvenile and adult growth, Corbula becomes an important element in the food chain as a transferor of organic matter from plankton to benthos. In a relatively stable soft-bottom community, the size of the Corbula population is mainly limited by the activity of competitors and predators. Dense Corbula populations may occur in a community with low species diversity in constantly and occasionally eutrophic areas. Generally, Corbula is considered an indicator of environmental instability caused by pollution, low oxygen content, or increased turbidity.