Life Span Variation of the Freshwater Pearl Shell: A Model Species for Testing Longevity Mechanisms in Animals

A Paradox of Parasite Prolonging the Life of Its Host. Pearl Mussel Can Disable the Accelerated Senescence Program in Salmon

“…In total, over 400 spawners were used in experiments. Experimental details were described elsewhere (Ziuganov et al ., 1994(Ziuganov et al ., , 1998(Ziuganov et al ., , 2000(Ziuganov et al ., , 2001a(Ziuganov et al ., , 2001b.…”

“…Freshwater pearl mussel is the most long-lived invertebrate with the top lifespan of 200 years (Ziuganov et al ., 2000;Ziuganov, 2004). Paleontological data indicate that the mussel and Salmo salmons (Atlantic salmon and sea trout) coevolved in Europe for at least 8 million years from the Pliocene so that the mollusk's range fits in the ranges of these fish species (Ziuganov et al ., 1994).…”

Ontogenetic morphometrics of individual freshwater pearl mussels (Margaritifera margaritifera (L.)) reconstructed from geometric conchology and trigonometric sclerochronology

“…Importantly, maximum age and shell length as well as growth rate have shown to bear great biogeographical variability with correlation to reproductive output of M. margaritifera (Bauer, 1992). Moreover, the species exhibits extreme longevity with supercentenarian ages (Timm, 1994;Ziuganov et al, 2000;. These factors concretize the importance of M. margaritifera growth characteristics and life histories as irreplaceable tools for understanding its ecological preconditions and developing the conservational strategies.…”

“…This is especially due to distinct annual periodicity of the growth that produces observable winter-lines through the shell layers (Mutvei et al, 1994. Increments provide the ontogenetic age of individuals (Ziuganov et al, 2000; thus allowing the age vis-à-vis size comparisons (Bauer, 1991(Bauer, , 1992Hastie et al, 2000a, b;San Miguel et al, 2004;. Importantly, maximum age and shell length as well as growth rate have shown to bear great biogeographical variability with correlation to reproductive output of M. margaritifera (Bauer, 1992).…”

A Long-Lived Parasite Extending the Host Life Span: The Pearl Mussel Margaritifera margaritifera Elongates Host Life by Turns out the Program of Accelerated Senescence in Salmon Salmo salar

“…The corresponding data are shown in Tables 1 and 2. The fresh-water pearl mussel (family Margaritiferidae, class Unionoida) is the most long-lived species among invertebrate animals. It reaches a maximum age of 200 years [3,14]. Paleontological evidence suggests that, in Europe, salmon of the genus Salmo (the Atlantic salmon and brown trout) coevolved with the pearl mussel for 8 × 10 6 years, since Pliocene; the present range of the mussel coincides with the ranges of these fish species [12].…”