Fish and mussels: importance of fish for freshwater mussel conservation

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Fish and mussels: importance of fish for freshwater mussel conservation Ronaldo Sousa1, 2*, Vanessa Modesto2, Allan T. Souza2 and Martina Ilarri2 1 CBMA – Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology, Department of Biology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal., Portugal 2 CIMAR-LA/CIIMAR – Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, Porto, Portugal., Portugal Co-extinctions have received trivial consideration in discussions about the global conservation crisis, even though recent studies have emphasised their importance. This situation is even more pronounced in freshwater ecosystems where this phenomenon is largely unrecognized. In this presentation we explore the role of fish for freshwater mussels’ conservation. Freshwater mussels’ need fish as a host to complete their life cycle and given this premise is expected that changes in the fish community due to species extinctions or additions may have great effects. We reviewed the published information and we found: 1) that most of the studies were published in the last few years; 2) that most of the studies were performed in North America (69%), which is probably due to the high number of endemic threatened species in this continent; 3) that most of the mussel species that are specialists in fish hosting are listed as vulnerable or endangered (55%); 4) most studies were performed in laboratory (83%) and 5) that the majority of studies were focused on life cycle or on identifying suitable fish hosts of freshwater mussel species with few studies focusing on threats. Since the interaction between fish and freshwater mussels can be easily disrupted and serious threats to this interaction have arisen (e.g. loss and fragmentation of habitat, changes in river flow, climate change, introduction of invasive species, pollution) a more holistic approach is needed to find the best management strategies to conserve these animals. In addition, more field studies are required and more information on African, South American and Asian species is essential. Neglect the possible fundamental role of fish in the decline or extinction of freshwater mussels may impair the success of any measure devoted to their conservation; therefore, this issue cannot be ignored. Keywords: fish, Freshwater mussels, conservation, Co-extinction, Host-Parasite Interactions Conference: XV European Congress of Ichthyology, Porto, Portugal, 7 Sep - 11 Sep, 2015. Presentation Type: Oral Presentation Topic: Ecology, Conservation and Invasive Species Citation: Sousa R, Modesto V, Souza AT and Ilarri M (2015). Fish and mussels: importance of fish for freshwater mussel conservation. Front. Mar. Sci. Conference Abstract: XV European Congress of Ichthyology. doi: 10.3389/conf.FMARS.2015.03.00239 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 20 Dec 2015; Published Online: 21 Dec 2015. * Correspondence: Prof. Ronaldo Sousa, CBMA – Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology, Department of Biology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal., Braga, Portugal, ronaldo.sousa@ciimar.up.pt Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Ronaldo Sousa Vanessa Modesto Allan T Souza Martina Ilarri Google Ronaldo Sousa Vanessa Modesto Allan T Souza Martina Ilarri Google Scholar Ronaldo Sousa Vanessa Modesto Allan T Souza Martina Ilarri PubMed Ronaldo Sousa Vanessa Modesto Allan T Souza Martina Ilarri Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.