Validation of freshwater mussel life‐history strategies: A database and multivariate analysis of freshwater mussel life‐history traits

Abstract

1. Freshwater mussels are among the most critically endangered taxa globally. In the United States, 91 out of nearly 300 species are listed as Threatened or Endangered under the Endangered Species Act.2. Freshwater mussel species exhibit a range of life-history traits. Owing to the large number of North American species, the rarity of many listed species and the often limited data available for those species, it can be difficult to gather all of the information necessary to develop ecological risk assessments and effective management plans for freshwater mussel species.3. The primary objective of this study was to categorize North American freshwater mussel species into life-history categories to aid in the identification of representative species for risk assessment. 4. To achieve these objectives, a literature review was conducted to identify available life-history data for a large range of mussel species. Using this dataset, two ordinations were performed, non-metric multidimensional scaling and discriminant analysis, to classify mussel species into previously described lifehistory categories. Both analyses facilitated species classification into life-history categories.5. Significant data gaps in basic life-history information still exist for many species, but previously described life-history categories were found to be robust and additional analysis allowed quantitative classification of additional species.

Trait‐based and multi‐scale approach provides insight on responses of freshwater mussels to environmental heterogeneity

“…Haag (2012) defined three different life history categories (opportunistic, equilibrium, and periodic), somewhat similar to existing models for plants (Grime, 1974) and fish (Winemiller & Rose, 1992). A recent effort to assign mussel species to life history categories based on the current knowledge of life history traits (life span, age at maturity, maximum length, glochidia length, and fecundity) for mussels found good agreement with previously described categorizations (Moore et al, 2021). In general, opportunistic mussel species can be characterized as fast-growing with short life spans and moderate to high fecundity, whereas equilibrium strategists are long-lived, slow-growing species with relatively low fecundity (Haag, 2012).…”

Life history and population ecology of Radix swinhoei (Lymnaeidae) in nearshore regions of a hypereutrophic plateau lake

“…Species with r‐selected life history traits such as high growth rate, short life span, rapid maturation, and high fertility are expected to be more tolerant to unfavorable environment conditions such as eutrophication than k‐selected species (Barausse et al, 2011 ; Lin et al, 2014 ; Mitchell et al, 2018 ; Moore et al, 2021 ). R‐strategists tend to devote more energy to reproduction than to growth (Song et al, 2017 ), which enable them to recover quickly from low population density (Pimm et al, 1988 ), or to rapidly establish new populations in new freshwater areas (Groom et al, 2006 ).…”

A trait dataset for freshwater mussels of the United States of America

“…Many mussel traits were considered critical to the management and conservation of freshwater mussels as early as the 1850s and became the focus of intense study as the pearl button industry began and increased dramatically with creation of the United States of America’s federally funded Fairport Biological Station (Iowa) 34 . The contributions of the Fairport Biological station set the stage for others to address habitat requirements, life history traits, and feeding ecology of mussels 31 , 35 – 37 . More recently, conservation agencies such as the United States Fish and Wildlife Service are increasingly incorporating trait data in Species Status Assessments to inform both vulnerability and future adaptability of petitioned species 38 .…”