Abstract
Abstract The aim of this study was to assess the extent to which the behavioural traits of freshwater mussels provide suitable indicators of stress in individuals, towards the advancement of non‐invasive, remote monitoring techniques to examine population condition. Variation in the expression of particular behavioural metrics was examined in accordance with measurements of oxygen consumption, across environmental stressors (aerial exposure and high concentrations of total suspended solids), and between two freshwater mussel species (Margaritifera margaritifera and Anodonta anatina) Aerobic metabolic rate was quantified using intermittent respirometry, and behaviour was observed using time‐lapse footage. Comparisons of metabolic response and the occurrence of behavioural traits, across the two stressors, focused on differences between the 24 h pre‐exposure period (pre‐exposure), the first 3 h of post‐exposure (immediate post‐exposure), and the time following the initial 3 h of post‐exposure until the end of the experimental run (extended post‐exposure). The results of this study demonstrated a relationship between the frequency of occurrence of behavioural responses to stress exposure, associated with valve activity, and significant changes in the metabolic functioning of A. anatina and M. margaritifera mussels. The findings from the study also highlighted substantial intraspecific variation across species and stressors. Data from this research could assist in the development of novel biosensors that track mussel valve activity remotely in their natural environment. When coupled with real‐time data examining alterations in environmental metrics, this technology could assist in the monitoring of population condition and aid conservation management.
Highlights
Freshwater bivalve mussels of the order Unionida are one of the fastest diminishing taxa globally (Lydeard et al, 2004; Graf & Cummings, 2007; Geist, 2011)
Individual metabolic differential was calculated by taking the difference in mean Mass independent metabolic rates (MIMRs) between pre-exposure and immediate post-exposure, irrespective of the direction of change
Significant individual variation was already present before exposure to the stressors, with a threefold and fourfold difference between the maximum and minimum values for standard metabolic rate (SMR) in A. anatina and M. margaritifera respectively, which is a common finding in many other aquatic species (Burton et al, 2011; Kristín & Gvoždík, 2012; Van Leeuwen, Rosenfeld & Richards, 2012; Metcalfe, Van Leeuwen & Killen, 2015)
Summary
Freshwater bivalve mussels of the order Unionida are one of the fastest diminishing taxa globally (Lydeard et al, 2004; Graf & Cummings, 2007; Geist, 2011). Examples within the literature of non-lethal techniques for examining stress in freshwater and marine mussels often focus on two behavioural responses: movement (how a mussel may use its foot to move along the river bed or to burrow into the substrate—Johnson & Brown, 2000; Bartsch et al, 2010; Block, Gerald & Levine, 2013; French & Ackerman, 2014; Clements, 2015) and filtration (the active movement of water through the mantle, which facilitates respiratory and reproductive processes); previous studies suggest that both valve activity and clearance rates mirror individual responses to environmental change (Wilson, Reuter & Wahl, 2005; Nagai et al, 2006; Robson et al, 2012; Tuttle-Raycraft, Morris & Ackerman, 2017; Salerno et al, 2018) Both behaviours have the potential to provide an easy and cost-effective biomarker of stress (Kádár et al, 2001; Newton & Cope, 2006; Liao et al, 2009; Robson et al, 2009; Hartmann et al, 2016; Lummer, Auerswald & Geist, 2016), which could be scaled up to populations and species
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