Ponto-Caspian gammarids: Change water pH

Overall effectiveness category Unlikely to be beneficial
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

0%
Certainty

50%
Harms

not assessed

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

Making the water more acidic (lowering the pH) through the use of chemicals may kill gammarid shrimps because their exoskeletons are likely to be dissolved by the acid. Prolonged exposure to acidic water may affect the ability of the shrimps to lay down new exoskeletons and to moult.

Study locations

Key messages

A controlled laboratory study from the UK found that lowering the pH of water did not kill invasive killer shrimp.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A controlled laboratory study in 2011 in England, UK¹ (Stebbing et al. 2011) found that lowering the pH of water did not kill the killer shrimp Dikerogammarus villosus. None of the shrimp died during the test period. Tests were conducted on 5 captive shrimp immersed for 15 minutes in de-chlorinated water of different pH values. Values ranged from pH 7.2-3.1. Hydrochloric acid was used to adjust the pH of the test solutions. Dead and live shrimp were counted.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Stebbing P.D., Sebire M. & Lyons B. (2011) Evaluation of a number of treatments to be used as biosecurity measures in controlling the spread of the invasive killer shrimp (Dikerogammarus villosus). CEFAS report, Final contract report C5256, 40pp.

Please cite as:

Aldridge, D., Ockendon, N., Rocha, R., Smith, R.K. & Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Some Aspects of Control of Freshwater Invasive Species. Pages 555-87 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

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This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Control of Freshwater Invasive Species

Related Actions

Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
Ponto-Caspian gammarids: Biological control using predatory fish Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link
Ponto-Caspian gammarids: Add chemicals to the water Action Link	Unlikely to be beneficial	1	Synopsis Link
Ponto-Caspian gammarids: Change water temperature Action Link	Likely to be beneficial	1	Synopsis Link