A comparison of the microbiome of invasive and native freshwater bivalves in Lake Maggiore Italy

This study aims to compare the microbiome of invasive bivalves and the native freshwater mussel Unio elongatulus in Lake Maggiore, Italy. The native mussels in the lake have been rapidly declining over the last 10 years and it has been hypothesised that the introduction of invasive bivalves (e.g., zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) or Corbicula fluminea) has been at least partially responsible for this. Others have hypothesised that invasive species may be stressing natives by inducing dysbiosis or spreading harmful microbes. To take an initial step towards investigating these hypotheses, this study will first show if there are any differences in the microbiome of native mussels with and without invasive bivalves present, along with characterising the microbiome of other potential contributors to the mussel microbiome.