Unionid Mussel Sensitivity to Environmental Contaminants

Keller, Anne E.

doi:10.1201/9781420042856.ch7

Cited by 13 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Even after the improvement of Lake Orta conditions and the neutralization of pH values accomplished by liming (1989)(1990), studies documenting the progressive recovery of both pelagic and benthic populations (Baudo et al, 2001a;Bielli and Tesauro, 2001;Nocentini et al, 2001) failed to reveal the presence of mussels or any other molluscs. Since mussels are highly sensitive to acidification (Økland and Økland, 1986;Taskinen et al, 2011), ammonia (Augspurger et al, 2003;Wang et al, 2008) and heavy metals (Naimo, 1995;Keller et al, 2006), particularly at the earlier life stages (Wang et al, 2007a(Wang et al, , 2007bCope et al, 2008;Cleawater et al, 2014), the high sediment toxicity, that did not improved but was rather worsened by liming, likely hindered recolonization. Furthermore, once extirpated from a water body, mussels are not able to recolonize easily, particularly if they lack access to restocking populations (Strayer et al, 2004), due to constraints related to their complex life cycle.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When and how? Freshwater mussel recolonization in Lake Orta

et al. 2016

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Thanks to a video posted on a social network, live mussels of Unio elongatulus, have been recorded from Lake Orta (Italy) over one century after the last (and only) report. With its long and well documented history of pollution, Lake Orta offers the opportunity to document the post-extirpation recovery of freshwater unionid mussels. This case evidences that recovery/recolonization is possible despite a high devastation in the past, and permits to evaluate how fast recolonization may occur, in which way, and in what conditions. The answer to the how fast was sought by estimating the age of the larger and seemingly older individuals of the population. To address the in which way we compared the haplotypes of Lake Orta specimens of Unio elongatulus (the only species present) with those of surrounding populations. We concluded that, since Lake Orta lacks a direct connection with the putative source populations, colonizing mussels were almost certainly transported by fish carrying glochidia that were used for lake restocking after liming. Data from the long-term monitoring of water chemistry and sediments have allowed defining what conditions proved to be suitable for survival making possible the start of mussels recovery. But not only water and sediment quality matters for mussels recovery, which was delayed by nearly ten years after the reappearance of fish. This delay reflects the need of the whole trophic chain to be reestablished to allow the survival of the suitable and healthy host-fish populations necessary for mussels reproduction.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When and how? Freshwater mussel recolonization in Lake Orta

et al. 2016

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“…Heavy metals can cause mortality, disrupt enzyme efficiency, alter filtration rates, reduce growth, and change behavior of freshwater mussels [4]. The early life stages of mussels are more sensitive to some toxicants, such as Cu and ammonia, compared to commonly tested aquatic organisms [5][6][7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, limited information is available regarding the acute or chronic effects of exposure to Pb, Cd, and Zn on freshwater mussels [4,7]. The present study was conducted in response to concerns regarding mussel exposure to metals in mining-related areas in the Ozark Plateau region in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, USA [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensitivity of early life stages of freshwater mussels (Unionidae) to acute and chronic toxicity of lead, cadmium, and zinc in water

Wang

Ingersoll

Ivey

et al. 2010

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Toxicity of lead, cadmium, or zinc to early life stages of freshwater mussels (fatmucket, Lampsilis siliquoidea; Neosho mucket, L. rafinesqueana) was evaluated in 48-h exposures with mussel larvae (glochidia), in 96-h exposures with newly transformed (5-d-old) and two- or six-month-old juvenile mussels, or in 28-d exposures with two- or four-month-old mussels in reconstituted soft water. The 24-h median effect concentrations (EC50s) for fatmucket glochidia (>299 microg Pb/L, >227 microg Cd/L, 2,685 microg Zn/L) and 96-h EC50s for two- or six-month-old fatmucket (>426 microg Pb/L, 199 microg Cd/L, 1,700 microg Zn/L) were much higher than 96-h EC50s for newly transformed fatmucket (142 and 298 microg Pb/L, 16 microg Cd/L, 151 and 175 microg Zn/L) and Neosho mucket (188 microg Pb/L, 20 microg Cd/L, 145 microg Zn/L). Chronic values for fatmucket were 10 microg Pb/L, 6.0 microg Cd/L, and 63 and 68 microg Zn/L. When mussel data from the present study and the literature were included in updated databases for deriving U.S. Environmental Protection Agency water quality criteria, mussel genus mean acute values were in the lower percentiles of the sensitivity distribution of all freshwater species for Pb (the 26th percentile), Cd (the 15th to 29th percentile), or Zn (the 12th to 21st percentile). The mussel (Lampsilis) genus mean chronic value was the lowest value ever reported for Pb (the 9th percentile) but was near the middle of the sensitivity distribution for Cd (the 61st percentile) or Zn (the 44th percentile). These results indicate that mussels were relatively sensitive to the acute toxicity of these three metals and to the chronic toxicity of Pb, but were moderately sensitive to the chronic toxicity of Cd or Zn compared to other freshwater species.

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“…Acute toxicity studies in freshwater mussels have been performed on only a small number of known organic and inorganic contaminants present in the surface water of North America, and sublethal toxicity studies are even more rare (Keller et al, 2007). More studies are needed on a broader array of substances to provide regulators with better information for setting acceptable pollution standards in surface waters where freshwater mussels are found.…”

Section: Best Management Practices To Reduce Pollutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This pollution can come from many different sources, such as municipal wastewater effluent, industrial waste, and agricultural and mining runoff (Bogan, 1993), and because unionids live in the sediment, the legacy effects of accumulated toxins can have long-term effects on populations (Strayer et al, 2004). Freshwater mussels can suffer direct mortality from acute or long-term exposure to high levels of organic and inorganic pollutants, and experience sublethal effects on growth, enzyme production, abnormal shell growth, reduced metabolism, and reduced fitness in general (Keller et al, 2007). Because of their complex life cycles, there are several critical life stages where unionids can be exposed to these pollutants, and each stage can have different sensitivities to them (Cope et al, 2008).…”

Section: Pollutionmentioning

confidence: 99%