Studio del potenziale riproduttivo di due bivalvi in mediterraneo.

Reproductive potential (RP) is the key-feature of species' persistence. Here we estimated the RP in two bivalves, namely the Mediterranean native Mytilus galloprovincialis and the invasive, non-indigenous Brachidontes pharaonis. We induced the spawning, counted gametes released by several individuals and studied the relationship between amount of gametes and body size (shell length). Results suggested that the largest species (M. galloprovincialis) was able to produce a greater amount of gametes for reproductive event.