The role of anthropogenic habitats in freshwater mussel conservation

Abstract

Anthropogenic freshwater habitats may provide undervalued prospects for long‐term conservation as part of species conservation planning. This fundamental, but overlooked, issue requires attention considering the pace that humans have been altering natural freshwater ecosystems and the accelerated levels of biodiversity decline in recent decades. We compiled 709 records of freshwater mussels (Bivalvia, Unionida) inhabiting a broad variety of anthropogenic habitat types (from small ponds to large reservoirs and canals) and reviewed their importance as refuges for this faunal group. Most records came from Europe and North America, with a clear dominance of canals and reservoirs. The dataset covered 228 species, including 34 threatened species on the IUCN Red List. We discuss the conservation importance and provide guidance on how these anthropogenic habitats could be managed to provide optimal conservation value to freshwater mussels. This review also shows that some of these habitats may function as ecological traps owing to conflicting management practices or because they act as a sink for some populations. Therefore, anthropogenic habitats should not be seen as a panacea to resolve conservation problems. More information is necessary to better understand the trade‐offs between human use and the conservation of freshwater mussels (and other biota) within anthropogenic habitats, given the low number of quantitative studies and the strong biogeographic knowledge bias that persists.

Translocation as an ultimate conservation measure for the long-term survival of a critically endangered freshwater mussel

“…Even with a high mortality rate, P. auricularius has become the only species of freshwater mussel that still inhabits the CIA, since P. littoralis, A. anatina, and U. mancus have all disappeared (Guerrero et al 2021). All the described disturbances may have turned the canal into an ecological trap for freshwater mussel species (Sousa et al 2021). The CIA is nowadays an habitat invaded and modified by the Asian clam and the zebra mussel, as well as by a non-native fish directly affecting the mussels reproductive cycle.…”

Thermal Pollution Mitigation and Energy Harnessing of the Condensation Process of an Olive Oil Extraction Refinery: A Case Study

“…The river water that serves the hexane condensation returns to the water body at a higher temperature. The sudden change of temperature decreases the dissolved oxygen (DO) in the river, making an abrupt decrease in DO, thus killing aquatic flora and fauna by hypoxia [6,7]. The decreasing of the DO is approximately 33.1% in a range of temperature of 10 • C to 30 • C [8].…”

Disentangling structural and functional responses of native versus alien communities by canonical ordination analyses and variation partitioning with multiple matrices

“…Aquatic invertebrate abundance and richness generally decrease below dams with the highest impacts on insect taxa, resulting in shorter food chains, simplification of food webs, and other effects 22 . In contrast, novel evidence suggests that anthropogenic habitats (ranging from small ponds to large reservoirs and canals), if properly managed, may provide undervalued prospects for the conservation of threatened species, for instance, freshwater mussels 23 .…”