A roadmap for the conservation of freshwater mussels in Europe

Sousa, Ronaldo; Zając, Tadeusz; Halabowski, Dariusz; Aksenova, Olga V.; Bespalaya, Yulia V.; Carvalho, Francisco; Castro, Paulo; Douda, Karel; Silva, Janine Pereira da; Ferreira‐Rodríguez, Noé; Geist, Juergen; Gumpinger, Clemens; Łabęcka, Anna Maria; Lajtner, Jasna; Lewin, Iga; Lopes‐Lima, Manuel; Meira, Alexandra; Nakamura, Keiko; Nogueira, Joana Garrido; Ondina, Paz; Ożgo, Małgorzata; Reis, Jorge dos; Riccardi, Nicoletta; Shumka, Spase; Son, Mikhail O.; Teixeira, Amílcar; Thielen, Frankie; Urbańska, Maria; Varandas, Simone; Wengström, Niklas; Zając, Katarzyna; Zieritz, Alexandra; Aldridge, David C.

doi:10.1111/cobi.13994

Cited by 31 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Third, freshwater mussels are a highly endangered group of aquatic animals. For instance, in Europe, 13 out of 20 unionid mussel species currently considered valid are classified as Threatened or Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. , Hence, given their poor conservation status, the use of wild freshwater mussels for water monitoring is highly controversial. An alternative to native mussels may be the use of invasive species that are not underlying any protective measures.…”

Section: Challenges and Opportunitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Freshwater Mussels as Sentinels for Safe Drinking Water Supply in Europe

Ferreira-Rodríguez,

Beggel,

Geist

et al. 2023

ACS EST Water

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In the context of the European Union (EU) Drinking Water Directive, freshwater mussels (Order Unionoida: Bivalvia) can help us face the challenges of safe drinking water provisions for all citizens in the EU. Specifically, the implementation of high frequency noninvasive (HFNI) valvometers allows the early detection of eventual pollution events in drinking water treatment plants. Currently real-time behavioral analysis is deployed in a number of EU countries, and we foresee a bright future as new technological advances are developed concerning HFNI valvometers.

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Section: Challenges and Opportunitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Freshwater Mussels as Sentinels for Safe Drinking Water Supply in Europe

Ferreira-Rodríguez,

Beggel,

Geist

et al. 2023

ACS EST Water

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“…In this study, we propose an approach to fill a methodological gap using freshwater mussels and fish hosts of the Iberian Peninsula as a case study to simultaneously account for species interactions, climate change, and dispersal constraints in conservation planning. Iberian freshwater mussels provide a compelling case to test this framework because they are highly threatened (Aldridge et al., 2023; Lopes‐Lima et al., 2023; Nakamura et al., 2023; Sousa et al., 2023), share obligatory interactions with fish hosts (Modesto et al., 2018), are responsible for important ecosystem services (Zieritz et al., 2022), are highly susceptible to climate change (Aldridge et al., 2023; Benson et al., 2021; Lopes‐Lima et al., 2018), and occur in an area particularly affected by the effects of both climate change and river fragmentation (Belletti et al., 2020; Cresswell‐Clay et al., 2022; Pereira et al., 2021). To achieve this, we identified optimal conservation areas that maximized the representation of both current and forecasted distribution (2050s and 2090s) of mussels, fish hosts, and their interactions, under two connectivity scenarios: unlimited dispersal ability and dispersal constrained by artificial barriers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of connectivity in conservation planning for species with obligatory interactions: Prospects for future climate scenarios

da Silva,

Hermoso,

Lopes‐Lima

et al. 2024

Global Change Biology

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Climate change may lead to range shifts, and barriers to such displacements may result in extirpations from previously suitable habitats. This may be particularly important in freshwater ecosystems that are highly fragmented by anthropogenic obstacles, such as dams and other smaller in‐stream barriers. Conservation planning in freshwaters should consider the dynamic effects of climate change and the ability of species to cope with it. In this study, we developed a framework for incorporating climate‐driven dispersal barriers into conservation planning taking into account the medium and long‐term impacts of climate change and species with obligatory interactions. Given that freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionida) are a group of highly threatened organisms dependent on fish hosts to complete their larval development and dispersal, we used Marxan to prioritize areas for their joint conservation in the Iberian Peninsula as a case study. We tested two connectivity scenarios between current and future habitats, (i) unlimited dispersal capacity and (ii) dispersal constrained by artificial barriers, and also identified priority translocation areas for species that were unable to disperse. Accounting for the effects of climate change on species distributions allowed the identification of long‐term conservation areas, but disregarding artificial barriers to dispersal may lead to unrealistic solutions. Integrating the location of barriers allowed the identification of priority areas that are more likely to be colonized in the future following climatic shifts, although this resulted in an additional loss of six to eight features (~5%–7%) compared to solutions without dispersal constraints. Between 173 and 357 artificial barriers (~1.6%–3.3%) will potentially block species dispersal to irreplaceable planning units. Where removal of artificial barriers is unfeasible, conservation translocations may additionally cover up to eight additional features that do not meet conservation targets due to dispersal constraints. This study highlights the challenge of identifying protected areas to safeguard biodiversity under climate change.

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“…Despite their ecological importance, bivalves are exposed to several human disturbances, such as pollution, overexploitation, climate change, habitat loss, and fragmentation (Downing et al, 2010; Dudgeon, 2019; Lopes‐Lima et al, 2017, 2018; Nobles & Zhang, 2011; Sousa et al, 2020, 2022). Recently, invasive alien species (IAS) have joined the list of the above‐mentioned disturbances.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in substratum preferences and behaviour within the invasive Corbicula species complex

et al. 2023

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Clams from the Corbicula species complex of Asian origin are invasive all over the world, currently extending their distribution to waters of the natural thermal regime in Central European areas. Features linking the clams to their habitats in newly invaded areas have not been fully examined. These include substratum preferences and mobility, which may be key to determining potential niche overlap with native bivalves and gaining a better knowledge of their potential active dispersal and impact. Therefore, our aim was to determine the substratum preferences, horizontal locomotion and burrowing behaviour of three Corbicula morphospecies from Poland, Central Europe: two populations of undetermined Corbicula sp. from an artificially heated habitat and water of the natural thermal regime (cold water), as well as Corbicula leana, and Corbicula fluminea (from artificially heated and cold water, respectively). To determine the preferred substratum range, we used pairwise choice tests with a range of muddy, sandy, and gravelly substrata, as well as zebra mussel shells. Then, we conducted behavioural observations (locomotion and burrowing) by CCTV cameras on substrata found as preferred and non‐preferred by clams. All morphospecies preferred fine‐grained over coarser substrata. C. fluminea from cold water had the widest range of substratum preferences. By contrast, C. leana from artificially heated water and Corbicula sp. from cold water showed the narrowest substratum preferences and spent the longest time deeply burrowed. The longest duration of burrowing activity was noted on non‐preferred coarser substrata, which may indicate difficulties in burrowing. On non‐preferred coarse substrata, C. fluminea (cold water) crawled more than the other morphospecies. Our results show that sediment preferences and behaviour (burrowing and locomotion) differ among various Corbicula morphospecies in Europe, probably also varying their invasive potential. This knowledge is important for determining the overlap of habitat preferences of non‐native Corbicula clams with native bivalves, which is critical for determining potential competition strength, impact, and/or displacement. Our results also indicate that habitats with fine sediments could be more threatened by Corbicula invasions.

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A roadmap for the conservation of freshwater mussels in Europe

Cited by 31 publications

References 19 publications

Freshwater Mussels as Sentinels for Safe Drinking Water Supply in Europe

Freshwater Mussels as Sentinels for Safe Drinking Water Supply in Europe

The role of connectivity in conservation planning for species with obligatory interactions: Prospects for future climate scenarios

Differences in substratum preferences and behaviour within the invasive Corbicula species complex

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