Search results for "glochidia"
showing 5 items of 5 documents
Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) differ in their suitability as hosts for the endangered freshwater pearl mussel (Margari…
2017
European populations of the freshwater pearl mussel (FPM, Margaritifera margaritifera) have collapsed across much of the species’ geographic range and, despite many types of conservation intervention, the number of successful restoration efforts has been low. The goal of this study was to determine whether there were population-specific differences in the suitability of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and brown trout (S. trutta) as hosts for the parasitic glochidium larvae of FPM. We predicted that such differences would depend on the historical occurrence of these salmonid species in FPM habitats. We studied the potential host specificity both in the field and in laboratory by exposing salmo…
Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) differ in their suitability as hosts for the endangered freshwater pearl mussel (Margari…
2017
1. European populations of the freshwater pearl mussel (FPM, Margaritifera margaritifera) have widely collapsed, and despite many types of conservation actions the number of successful restoration trials has remained limited. The goal of this study was to find new aspects for the conservation by investigating whether there are population-specific differences in suitability of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and brown trout (S. trutta) as the hosts for the parasitic glochidium larvae of FPM, depending probably on the historical occurrence of these salmonid species in FPM habitats. 2. We studied the potential host specificity both in the field and in laboratory by exposing salmonid fish to FPM …
Electrofishing as a new method to search for unknown populations of the endangered freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera
2017
1. The freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera is threatened throughout its Holarctic range, but the occurrence of this species is insufficiently mapped. For the conservation of M. margaritifera, it is important to identify populations more comprehensively. 2. Traditionally mussels have been searched for visually using techniques such as diving and aquascope, both of which are potentially time-consuming and demanding survey methods. 3. In this study, a new search method is presented. As glochidia of M. margaritifera are larval parasites on gills of salmonid fish, electrofishing and non-destructive examination of salmonids with the naked eye may reveal the presence of glochidia a…
The endangered freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera shows adaptation to a local salmonid host in Finland
2022
1. The freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera (FPM) is an endangered unionid which has a glochidium larva that attaches to the gills of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar or brown trout S. trutta, although some FPM populations have been shown to exclusively attach to only one of these species. The origin of host fish populations may be crucial for conservation actions for this mussel species, but the relative suitability of local (sympatric) and non- local (allopatric) salmonid populations as the hosts for FPM has been studied only rarely. We hypothesised that FPM glochidia would show adaptation to local salmonid strains and, there-fore, that they would be more successful (abundant, l…
Glochidia Infection of Endemic Fishes from Lake Prespa, N. Macedonia
2022
Large freshwater mussels (Unionida) are long-lived, have large bodies, and produce thousands to millions of larvae (glochidia) that usually must attach to host fish tissue to complete their life cycle. This is an obligate parasitic stage of mussel larvae. However, less than one in onemillion find a suitable host and survive. The degree of host specificity varies among unionid species, from specialists that can successfully parasitize only one or a few closely related fish species to generalists that can complete development on a taxonomically broad range of fish species. In addition, freshwater mussels are among the most threatened groups of animals. This is due to habitat destruction, the …