Low invasion success of an invasive cyanobacterium in a chlorophyte dominated lake

Biological invasions are a major threat to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Successful invasions depend on the interplay of multiple abiotic and biotic factors, however, the process of the invasion itself is often overlooked. The temporal variation of environmental factors suggests that a ‘window of opportunity’ for successful invasions exists. Especially aquatic habitats, like temperate lakes, undergo pronounced seasonal fluctuations and show temporally varying environmental conditions in e.g. nutrient availability, temperature and the composition of the resident community including competitors and consumers. We experimentally tested if an invasion window for the globally invasive cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii exists. From May to September, we determined the invasion success of C. raciborskii in laboratory mesocosms with natural lake water. Although the invasion success was generally low, the invasiveness varied among months and differed in total invasive biomass, net development and final share of C. raciborskii in the community. During the first days, C. raciborskii strongly declined and this initial, short-term decline was independent of the ambient consumptive pressure. These results are in contrast to laboratory studies in which C. raciborskii successfully invaded, suggesting that a complex natural system develops a resistance to invasions.