Abstract
1.The quantification and assessment of dynamic hydrogeomorphological processes is crucial in defining suitable habitat for aquatic benthic species. Yet a consistent approach to accurately record and monitor near-bed flow characteristics, remains largely undefined in freshwater ecology.2.The purpose of this work was to provide a direct, non-intrusive, low-cost and accessible tool to evaluate near-bed incipient flow conditions and predict when flow forcing results in the entrainment of individuals.3.This study designed, for the first time, an instrumented freshwater mussel, encompassing inertial microelectromechanical sensors (MEMS), housed within Margaritifera margaritifera shells.4.Following initial calibration of the embedded sensors to ensure accurate detection of three-dimensional displacement, dedicated flume experiments were undertaken to assess instrumented shell movement metrics, for a range of flow conditions and shell orientations.5.Analysis found that data from the sensors' readings could successfully detect, and potentially predict, entrainment events through the examination of variability in recordings of total acceleration, with entrainment risk shown to vary across flowrate, shell orientation and size.6.Instrumented shells could provide a valuable tool for assisting conservation management of freshwater mussel species: aiding the identification and monitoring of suitable habitat in reintroduction and restoration schemes. Instrumented shells could also assist habitat suitability surveys for a range of freshwater species, intimately linked to the physical environment of freshwater ecosystems.7.Evidence from this study suggests further research into this tool may yield methods for accurately predicting more complex flow metrics associated with hydraulic stress. It is therefore clear that the potential of this tool is still to be fully investigated.
Highlights
The identification and protection of areas providing suitable habitat for species is crucial in the mitigation of biodiversity loss across ecosystems
Efforts to bridge the gap between limited funding and the need for more extensive research, have led to calls for schemes to focus on keystone species, with the hope that their conservation will assist in inducing improvements to the health of the wider ecosystem (Bolotov et al, 2018)
For the partially buried mussel, the shell's asymmetrical shape may inhibit its removal from its pocket: the wider, heavier element was anchored below the surface, and the narrower part exposed to the flow; hydrodynamic lift forces were expected to be less effective in displacing the mussel in a saltation mode (Wu and Chou, 2003; Diplas et al, 2008; Valyrakis et al, 2010; Dey and Ali, 2018)
Summary
The identification and protection of areas providing suitable habitat for species is crucial in the mitigation of biodiversity loss across ecosystems Such methods are fundamental to conservation management in terrestrial and marine ecosystems, yet are often underutilised in efforts to conserve freshwater habitat (Decker et al, 2017; Moilanen et al, 2009). Work by Geist (2010) suggested that one such species, the freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera), fulfils the criteria for an indicator, flagship and keystone species. Despite their perceived importance, unionid mussels still represent some of the most imperiled species in the world (Lydeard et al, 2004)
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