Naidlds live in a wide range of aquatic habitats but are particularly important numerically as part of the benthic fauna of rivers with stony substrates. In general they graze on bacteria and algae although some, particularly Oiaetogaster spp., are mainly predaceous, and C. Hmnaei vaghini is a parasite of molluscs, chiefly Gastropoda. Food selection seems to be based largely on particle size although the food quality of the particles within the appropriate size-range influences rates of growth and reproduction.Major factors determining the distribution and abundance of naidid species are the nature of the substratum and the presence and kind of vegetation. Plants with a highly dissected form, a thick growth habit, and which permit the greatest pcriphyton development generally support the most abundant naidid populations. The oligochaete fauna of coarse substrates (stones and gravels) is often dominated by the Naididae but both species-richness and abundance of naidid populations are generally reduced where fine substrates (silts and muds) occur. The occurrence of worms within the substratum is also determined by its nature; naidids penetrate to depths of 20 70 cm in coarse substrates but rarely penetrate below 6 cm in mud. The principal factor limiting both depth penetration and the dominance of naidids in fine substrates is probably oxygen availability.Naidids reproduce both asexually and sexually, the former method predominating k>r most of the year. Asexual reproduction usually involves the budding-off of zooids but a few species fragment. Sexual reproduction is often infrequent; populations of some species produce few or no sexually mature mdividuals. In mature worms asexual reproduction virtually ceases. In populations that produce mature individuals there is apparently one sexual generation a year, usually occurring during the summer and autumn. Adults die soon after laying their cocoons.In general, naidids are most abundant during the summer months when rates of growth and asexual reproduction are stimulated by hi^er temperatures and a plentiful supply of food. A few species, however, e.g. Nais elinguis and Paranais litoralis, are more abundant in the spring.The response of naidid species to different kinds of pollution is varied but generally organic enrichment of rivers which have stony substrates results in a considerable (ten-to twenty-fold) increase in naidid abundance. Mi/s e//«p«s, N. barbata, N. communis, N. variabilis. and Chaetogaster diaphanus are often •Present address: Thames Water Authority, Reading HridKe House. Reading, Berkshire. Correspondence: M. A. Learner,

Ocean acidification is occurring globally through increasing CO 2 absorption into the oceans creating particular concern for calcifying species. In addition to ocean acidification, near shore marine habitats are exposed to the deleterious effects of runoff from acid sulfate soils which also decreases environmental pH. This coastal acidification is being exacerbated by climate change‐driven sea‐level rise and catchment‐driven flooding. In response to reduction in habitat pH by ocean and coastal acidification, mollusks are predicted to produce thinner shells of lower structural integrity and reduced mechanical properties threatening mollusk aquaculture. Here, we present the first study to examine oyster biomineralization under acid sulfate soil acidification in a region where growth of commercial bivalve species has declined in recent decades. Examination of the crystallography of the shells of the Sydney rock oyster, Saccostrea glomerata, by electron back scatter diffraction analyses revealed that the signal of environmental acidification is evident in the structure of the biomineral. Saccostrea glomerata, shows phenotypic plasticity, as evident in the disruption of crystallographic control over biomineralization in populations living in coastal acidification sites. Our results indicate that reduced sizes of these oysters for commercial sale may be due to the limited capacity of oysters to biomineralize under acidification conditions. As the impact of this catchment source acidification will continue to be exacerbated by climate change with likely effects on coastal aquaculture in many places across the globe, management strategies will be required to maintain the sustainable culture of these key resources.

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Commercial shellfish aquaculture is vulnerable to the impacts of ocean acidification driven by increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption by the ocean as well as to coastal acidification driven by land run off and rising sea level. These drivers of environmental acidification have deleterious effects on biomineralization. We investigated shell biomineralization of selectively bred and wild‐type families of the Sydney rock oyster Saccostrea glomerata in a study of oysters being farmed in estuaries at aquaculture leases differing in environmental acidification. The contrasting estuarine pH regimes enabled us to determine the mechanisms of shell growth and the vulnerability of this species to contemporary environmental acidification. Determination of the source of carbon, the mechanism of carbon uptake and use of carbon in biomineral formation are key to understanding the vulnerability of shellfish aquaculture to contemporary and future environmental acidification. We, therefore, characterized the crystallography and carbon uptake in the shells of S. glomerata, resident in habitats subjected to coastal acidification, using high‐resolution electron backscatter diffraction and carbon isotope analyses (as δ13C). We show that oyster families selectively bred for fast growth and families selected for disease resistance can alter their mechanisms of calcite crystal biomineralization, promoting resilience to acidification. The responses of S. glomerata to acidification in their estuarine habitat provide key insights into mechanisms of mollusc shell growth under future climate change conditions. Importantly, we show that selective breeding in oysters is likely to be an important global mitigation strategy for sustainable shellfish aquaculture to withstand future climate‐driven change to habitat acidification.