Relationship of biotic and abiotic factors to recruitment patterns in Margaritifera margaritifera

Österling, Martin; Greenberg, Larry; Arvidsson, Björn

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2008.03.004

Cited by 71 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…The FPM is suffering a decline in numbers throughout its Holarctic range, due to poor reproduction over the last 30-50 years (Geist 2010). It is particularly sensitive to fine sediment Geist and Auerswald 2007), with excessive concentrations identified as a major cause of declines (Buddensiek et al 1993;Arvidsson et al 2006;Geist and Auerswald 2007;Ö sterling et al 2007;Söderberg et al 2008;Degerman et al 2009). Sedimentary conditions are particularly important for juveniles, which remain buried a few centimeters below the streambed for a number of years (Skinner et al 2003).…”

Section: Study Area and Focal Speciesmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Such reductions affect salmonid eggs and embryos (Greig et al 2005;Malcolm et al 2008Malcolm et al , 2009Malcolm et al , 2010 as well as invertebrates (Wood and Armitage 1997;Bilotta and Brazier et al 2008;Buendia et al 2011;Buendia et al 2013). In particular, fine sediment has been implicated in the decline of several mussel species across Europe and North America (Marking and Bills 1979;Grabarkiewicz and Davis 2008Ö sterling et al 2008, 2010. On the other hand, the organic fraction of fine material carried in suspension is a vital food source for many invertebrate species, so a reduction in sediment supply may interfere with energetic and trophic processes within stream ecosystems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Impacts of Small Scale Flow Regulation on Sediment Dynamics in an Ecologically Important Upland River

Quinlan

Gibbins

Batalla

et al. 2014

Environmental Management

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Flow regulation is widely recognized as affecting fluvial processes and river ecosystems. Most impact assessments have focused on large dams and major water transfer schemes, so relatively little is known about the impacts of smaller dams, weirs and water diversions. This paper assesses sediment dynamics in an upland river (the Ehen, NW England) whose flows are regulated by a small weir and tributary diversion. The river is important ecologically due to the presence of the endangered freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera, a species known to be sensitive to sedimentary conditions. Fine sediment yield for the 300-m long study reach was estimated to be 0.057 t km(-2) year(-1), a very low value relative to other upland UK rivers. Mean in-channel storage of fine sediment was also low, estimated at an average of around 40 g m(-2). Although the study period was characterized by frequent high flow events, little movement of coarser bed material was observed. Data therefore indicate an extremely stable fluvial system within the study reach. The implication of this stability for pearl mussels is discussed.

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Section: Study Area and Focal Speciesmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Impacts of Small Scale Flow Regulation on Sediment Dynamics in an Ecologically Important Upland River

Quinlan

Gibbins

Batalla

et al. 2014

Environmental Management

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“…The above-mentioned anthropogenic factors are suggested as the main reasons for the recruitment failures, as adult mussels are more tolerant than juveniles of deteriorated conditions (Hastie et al 2000a, Helama andValovirta 2007). In addition, Geist and Auerswald (2007) showed that poor stream bed quality limits the recruitment of FPM, and other studies have also suggested that the glochidium (Taskinen et al 2011) and juvenile stages (Buddensiek 1995, Österling et al 2008, Schmidt and Vandré 2010, Dunca et al 2011 are the critical periods when a high proportion of FPM individuals are lost if the conditions are not optimum. However, as the number of successful conservation strategies in which these facts have been taken into account has remained limited (Simon et al 2015, Lopes-Lima et al 2016, there may also be other, as yet unidentified factors behind the recruitment failures.…”

Section: The Collapse Of the Freshwater Pearl Musselmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, there are predictions of more populations becoming extinct in the future (Bauer 1983, Valovirta 1990, Beasley et al 1998. For example, illegal pearl fishing is still taking place in Scotland (Cosgrove et al 2014) and probably elsewhere, but most alarmingly, absence or low number of juvenile mussels has been detected in many of the remaining populations (Valovirta 1990, 1993, Cosgrove et al 2000, Hastie et al 2000b, Reis 2003, Österling et al 2008, Outeiro et al 2008, Oulasvirta 2011, Varandas et al 2013, Simon et al 2015, indicating that the reproduction of populations has stopped or does not lead to successful recruitment. Thus, these populations will not be able to persist in the long run.…”

Section: The Collapse Of the Freshwater Pearl Musselmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In smaller streams an aquascope (a glass-bottomed box) is usually used (Cosgrove et al 2000, Reis 2003, Valovirta 2006, Österling et al 2008, Ostrovsky and Popov 2011, Oulasvirta 2011, Varandas et al 2013, Simon et al 2015 and in rivers with moderate depth snorkelling is the common method (Oulasvirta 2011, Varandas et al 2013, while in large channels scuba diving may be the only possibility to detect mussels (Oulasvirta 2011). However, certain river characteristics, such as dark or deep water, strong current or stony bottom, may limit the use of these methods (Young and Williams 1983a, Álvarez-Claudio et al 2000, Cosgrove et al 2000, Oulasvirta 2011).…”

Section: Mapping the Occurrence Of The Freshwater Pearl Musselmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An alien fish threatens an endangered parasitic bivalve: the relationship between brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) in northern Europe

Salonen

Marjomäki

Taskinen

2016

Aquatic Conservation

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Salonen, JouniThe role of salmonid fishes in conservation of the endangered freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, 2016, 48 The abundance of freshwater pearl mussels (Margaritifera margaritifera) has declined widely during the past century, and new conservation initiatives are needed. This thesis focused on the relationship between M. margaritifera and its salmonid host required for reproduction of this species. First, by exposing fish experimentally to glochidium larvae of M. margaritifera, different M. margaritifera populations were shown to demonstrate strong differences in their ability to parasitize different salmonid species. Atlantic salmon was clearly a better host for mussels in large river channels, whereas in small headwater tributaries brown trout was the best, or the only suitable, host. These findings provide a previously unrecognised explanation for the collapse and the lack of recruitment especially of the salmon-specific M. margaritifera populations; a high proportion of large salmon rivers were dammed for hydropower production in the 1960s, which prevented the migration of salmon and thus left M. margaritifera without the appropriate host in these rivers. Furthermore, an invasive salmonid, brook trout, was widely introduced to small tributaries above the dams in the past, but in this study was shown to be an unsuitable host for M. margaritifera. Thus, and due to the tendency of brook trout to replace native brown trout, the spread of brook trout is an additional threat to M. margaritifera. An indication of local adaptation of M. margaritifera, i.e. higher infectivity in sympatric salmonid host strain than in allopatric populations of the same species, was also detected. Finally, a new, nondestructive approach to search for M. margaritifera populations, involving electrofishing and quick visual examination of the gills of captured salmonids, revealed the occurrence of 3 previously unknown populations. The results of this thesis highlight the importance of taking into account the roles of salmonid fish in future efforts to search, protect and restore freshwater pearl mussel populations.

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Effects of nitrate nitrogen pollution on Central European unionid bivalves revealed by distributional data and acute toxicity testing

Douda

2009

Aquatic Conservation

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ABSTRACT1. Studies from Central Europe have shown a relationship between the impaired population status of threatened freshwater mussel species and elevated nitrate nitrogen (N-NO À 3 ) concentrations in running waters. 2. Causal mechanisms, however, remain unknown, and no experimental data or comprehensive studies involving more species are available, which causes uncertainty in prioritizing conservation actions.3. This study uses both descriptive and experimental approaches to identify the effects of nitrates on freshwater mussels and demonstrates the need for integrating different research methods for development of conservation strategies for threatened species.4. Spatial co-occurrence of five native freshwater mussel species (Anodonta anatina, Pseudanodonta complanata, Unio pictorum, Unio tumidus, Unio crassus) and N-NO À 3 concentrations were examined in a 7th-order river catchment (Luzˇnice River, Czech Republic) with anthropogenically-induced increasing N-NO À 3 levels and declining populations of these species during the 20th century.5. Acute toxicity of N-NO À 3 was then estimated for artificially reared juveniles of A. anatina and U. crassus using both lethal and sublethal test endpoints.6. Results showed that the probability of occurrence of all species was significantly reduced in reaches with elevated N-NO À 3 levels. 7. In contrast, the results of toxicity testing revealed that the juvenile stages of the two tested species were less sensitive to N-NO À 3 than most previously tested freshwater macroinvertebrates. The detected 96-h median lethal N-NO À 3 concentrations were two orders of magnitude higher than the limits derived from distributional data. 8. Despite the probable absence of a direct negative effect of N-NO À 3 on freshwater mussel populations, N-NO À 3 has potential to be used as an effective indicator of biotope conditions. Identification of causal mechanisms responsible for the observed relationship between unionids and N-NO À 3 will require further research.

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Relationship of biotic and abiotic factors to recruitment patterns in Margaritifera margaritifera

Cited by 71 publications

References 36 publications

Impacts of Small Scale Flow Regulation on Sediment Dynamics in an Ecologically Important Upland River

Impacts of Small Scale Flow Regulation on Sediment Dynamics in an Ecologically Important Upland River

An alien fish threatens an endangered parasitic bivalve: the relationship between brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) in northern Europe

Effects of nitrate nitrogen pollution on Central European unionid bivalves revealed by distributional data and acute toxicity testing

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