showing 4 related works from this author
Parasites in sympatric populations of native and invasive freshwater bivalves
2021
An increasing threat to local, native freshwater mussels (Unionida)—an ecologically important but globally alarmingly declining group— is the invasion by exotic bivalves. The Enemy Release Hypothesis predicts that introduced species should benefit from enemy-mediated competition because they are less likely to be harmed by natural enemies, such as parasites, than their native competitors. We investigated within-site differences in parasitism between sympatric native (tot. five spp.) and invasive (tot. three spp.) bivalves in eight northern European waterbodies, which harboured totally 15 parasite taxa. In paired comparisons using within-site averages, the mean number of parasite species in …
The role of anthropogenic habitats in freshwater mussel conservation
2018
The data that supports the findings of this study are available in the supplementary material of this article.
Research priorities for freshwater mussel conservation assessment
2018
Freshwater mussels are declining globally, and effective conservation requires prioritizing research and actions to identify and mitigate threats impacting mussel species. Conservation priorities vary widely, ranging from preventing imminent extinction to maintaining abundant populations. Here, we develop a portfolio of priority research topics for freshwater mussel conservation assessment. To address these topics, we group research priorities into two categories: intrinsic or extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors are indicators of organismal or population status, while extrinsic factors encompass environmental variables and threats. An understanding of intrinsic factors is useful in monitor…
Conservation status of freshwater mussels in Europe: state of the art and future challenges
2016
Freshwater mussels of the Order Unionida provide important ecosystem functions and services, yet many of their populations are in decline. We comprehensively review the status of the 16 currently recognized species in Europe, collating for the first time their life-history traits, distribution, conservation status, habitat preferences, and main threats in order to suggest future management actions. In northern, central, and eastern Europe, a relatively homogeneous species composition is found in most basins. In southern Europe, despite the lower species richness, spatially restricted species make these basins a high conservation priority. Information on freshwater mussels in Europe is uneve…