The Killer shrimp Dikerogammarus villosus originates in the Ponto-Caspian region. In 1992, this amphipod spread into Western Europe after the opening of a canal connecting the Danube river to the Rhine. This amphipod spread both actively and passively - via shipping - through the European inland waterway network and finally ended up in the Belgian Albert Canal in 1997. Since then, the species is dispersing rapidly and has conquered the brackish and freshwater of East and West Flanders. Soon, this relatively large omnivorous amphipod became notorious, because it preys on other amphipod species. As a result of its high adaptability and short reproduction period, there was a local displacement of other amphipod species, with consequences for local food webs and biodiversity. These characteristics make the Killer shrimp a very successful invasive species. |
