<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The paper reports the range extension of the Ponto- Caspian gammarid Dikerogammarus villosus (Sowinsky, 1894) and the first occurrence of this species in new areas of the Polish part of the Baltic Sea basin: the Śmiała Vistula and the Vistula Lagoon. 
The studies additionally determine the osmoregulatory ability of the species under laboratory conditions within the salinity range of 2-22 PSU. Determination of the osmoregulation of the species shows that D. villosus is a hyperregulator at given experimental salinities and can function in a wide range of external salinities so it is potentially able to colonize various water bodies. Osmoregulatory capacity, which is an indicator of organism’s efforts to regulate the concentration of its body fluids, shows that for individuals from the Gulf of Gdańsk, 6 PSU is the best tolerated salinity. Osmoregulatory capacity is the lowest at this salinity value. 
The range extension and potential osmoregulatory abilities of the species to spread to other waters are discussed in the context of pollution levels given in the literature with reference to the habitat and sensitivity of the species to e.g. fluoride and cadmium toxicity.
</abstract>

The paper reports the range extension of the Ponto- Caspian gammarid Dikerogammarus villosus (Sowinsky, 1894) and the first occurrence of this species in new areas of the Polish part of the Baltic Sea basin: the Śmiała Vistula and the Vistula Lagoon. 
The studies additionally determine the osmoregulatory ability of the species under laboratory conditions within the salinity range of 2-22 PSU. Determination of the osmoregulation of the species shows that D. villosus is a hyperregulator at given experimental salinities and can function in a wide range of external salinities so it is potentially able to colonize various water bodies. Osmoregulatory capacity, which is an indicator of organism’s efforts to regulate the concentration of its body fluids, shows that for individuals from the Gulf of Gdańsk, 6 PSU is the best tolerated salinity. Osmoregulatory capacity is the lowest at this salinity value. 
The range extension and potential osmoregulatory abilities of the species to spread to other waters are discussed in the context of pollution levels given in the literature with reference to the habitat and sensitivity of the species to e.g. fluoride and cadmium toxicity.

Range extension of <italic>Dikerogammarus villosus</italic> (Sowinsky, 1894) in Poland (the Baltic Sea basin) and its ability to osmoregulate in different environmental salinities

Department of Experimental Ecology of Marine Organisms, Institute of Oceanography

Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Range extension of  (Sowinsky, 1894) in Poland (the Baltic Sea basin) and its ability to osmoregulate in different environmental salinities

The paper reports the range extension of the Ponto- Caspian gammarid Dikerogammarus villosus (Sowinsky, 1894) and the first occurrence of this species in new...

Range extension of Dikerogammarus villosus (Sowinsky, 1894) in Poland (the Baltic Sea basin) and its ability to osmoregulate in different environmental salinities

Published Online: Sep 30, 2015

Page range: 294 - 304

Received: Nov 28, 2014

Accepted: Apr 29, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ohs-2015-0028

Keywords
non-indigenous species, Ponto-Caspian gammarid, osmoregulation, osmotic capacity, Śmiała Vistula, Vistula Lagoon, Gulf of Gdańsk

© 2015 Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, University of Gdańsk, Poland

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Range extension of Dikerogammarus villosus (Sowinsky, 1894) in Poland (the Baltic Sea basin) and its ability to osmoregulate in different environmental salinities

Published Online: Sep 30, 2015

Page range: 294 - 304

Received: Nov 28, 2014

Accepted: Apr 29, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ohs-2015-0028

Keywordsnon-indigenous species, Ponto-Caspian gammarid, osmoregulation, osmotic capacity, Śmiała Vistula, Vistula Lagoon, Gulf of Gdańsk

© 2015 Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, University of Gdańsk, Poland

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
non-indigenous species, Ponto-Caspian gammarid, osmoregulation, osmotic capacity, Śmiała Vistula, Vistula Lagoon, Gulf of Gdańsk