0000000000352785
AUTHOR
Karel Douda
The role of anthropogenic habitats in freshwater mussel conservation
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
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
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…
Verifying the safe level of visitors’ pressure in aquatic protected areas: surrogate signal species, dummy individuals and bioindication
Aquatic areas within nature reserves can suffer from certain anthropogenic pressures of its visitors. The littoral zone within small rivers and lentic freshwater systems is particularly threatened by water sports, such as swimming and canoeing. The core zone of the Central European National Park is an example of a popular location for visitors and tourists to canoe (Křenová and Kindlmann 2015). Evaluating the direct impact of disturbances on endangered species is often very difficult due to the low number of individuals or the long-lasting impacts; therefore, three methods on how to evaluate anthropogenic disturbance rates are presented. The degree of damage on submerged macrophytes, caused…