The Ecology of Freshwater Molluscs

Abstract

This book provides a comprehensive review of the ecology of freshwater bivalves and gastropods worldwide. It deals with the ecology of these species in its broadest sense, including diet, habitat and reproductive biology, emphasising in particular the tremendous diversity of these freshwater invertebrates. Following on from these introductory themes, the author develops a life history model that unifies them, and serves as a basis for reviews of their population and community ecology, including treatments of competition, predation, parasitism and biogeography. Extensively referenced and providing a synthesis of work from the nineteenth century onwards, this book includes original analyses that seek to unify previous work into a coherent whole. It will appeal primarily to professional ecologists and evolutionary biologists, as well as to parasitologists.

Contrasting the distribution of phenotypic and molecular variation in the freshwater snail Biomphalaria pfeifferi, the intermediate host of Schistosoma mansoni

“…A fundamental empirical challenge is determining the extent to which the observed variation in life-history traits actually reflects adaptation to such variation (Keller and Douglas, 2008). An example of key resource for aquatic organisms is water availability, especially in freshwater environments, which might markedly vary in time (Dillon, 2000).…”

“…They occupy a variety of patchily distributed habitats along a gradient of hydrological permanence (Brown, 1994;Dillon, 2000). These hermaphroditic species reproduce through either self-fertilization or cross-fertilization (Escobar et al, 2011), offering the possibility of comparing contrasted mating systems with regard to population structure.…”

Spatial and temporal variation of benthic macroinvertebrates in the Nam Gnom Basin receiving discharged waters from the Nam Theun 2 Reservoir (Lao PDR)

“…More specifically, we hypothesised (i) a reduction of the relative abundance of molluscs as discharged waters had lower conductivity (Chanudet et al, same issue) and diversity and richness of molluscs are known to be closely associated with water conductivity (Dillon, 2000;Horsák, 2006) and (ii) an increase of the relative abundance of collectors-filterers which usually dominate assemblages in downstream area of dams (Schlosser, 1992;Malmqvist & Eriksson, 1995).…”

Failure of Transmission of Low-Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus Between Mallards and Freshwater Snails: An Experimental Evaluation

“…These snails feed exclusively on algae and detritus on the sediment (Dillon, 2000;Vaughn, 2009), and accumulate hepatotoxins through ingestion of cyanobacteria, which they likely transmit to predators (Zurawell et al, 1999). Physa spp.…”