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Pearly mussels (Unionoidea) live in lakes, rivers, and streams around the world. These bivalves play important roles in freshwater ecosystems and were once both culturally and economically valuable as sources of food, pearls, and mother-of-pearl. Today, however, hundreds of species of these mussels are extinct or endangered. David L. Strayer provides a critical synthesis of the factors that control the distribution and abundance of pearly mussels. Using empirical analyses and models, he assesses the effects of dispersal, habitat quality, availability of fish hosts, adequate food, predators, and parasites. He also addresses conservation issues that apply to other inhabitants of fresh waters around the globe and other pressing issues in contemporary ecology.

It is well established that predators can scare as well as consume their prey. In many systems, the fear of being eaten causes trait-mediated cascades whose strength can rival or exceed that of more widely recognized density-mediated cascades transmitted by predators that consume their prey. Despite this progress it is only beginning to be understood how the influence of predation risk is shaped by environmental context and whether it can exert an important influence on ecosystem-level processes. This study used a factorial mesocosm experiment that manipulated basal-resource identity (either barnacles, Semibalanus balanoides, or mussels, Mytilus edulis) to determine how resources modify the influence of predation risk, cascade strength, and the efficiency of energy transfer in two, tritrophic, rocky-shore food chains containing the predatory green crab (Carcinus maenas) and an intermediate consumer (the snail, Nucella lapillus). The effect of predation risk and the strength of trait-mediated cascades (both in absolute and relative terms) were much stronger in the barnacle than in the mussel food chain. Moreover, predation risk strongly diminished the efficiency of energy transfer in the barnacle food chain but had no significant effect in the mussel food chain. The influence of resource identity on indirect-effect strength and energy transfer was likely caused by differences in how each resource shapes the degree of risk perceived by prey. We suggest that our understanding of the connection between trophic dynamics and ecosystem functioning will improve considerably once the effects of predation risk on individual behavior and physiology are considered.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of depuration on the safety of Mediterranean mussels harvested in the Olbia gulf and to evaluate the efficacy of E.coli and Salmonella spp. as indicators of the presence of naturally occurring Vibrios and other pathogens (viruses causing hepatitis, L.monocytogenes and S.aureus). Samples of mussels belonging to 5 batches of products, from 2 Depuration Centers, were collected before depuration (T0), after 4h (T4) and at the end of depuration (T8). Results showed an overall efficacy of the depuration in respect to E.coli moderate counts. A depuration for 8 hours led to a rapid decline in the concentration, complying to the Food Safety Criteria of the Reg. (EC) 2073/2005. The decline in numbers of E.coli, does not correlate with the presence of naturally occurring Vibrios, which decline at an even slower rate. The adoption of shorter treatments times for mussels with high initial counts of Vibrios could lead to a reduction unfitted to guarantee the safety of consumers.

Diving ducks staging on the lower Great Lakes have responded to the introduction and subsequent population increase of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) by consuming this readily available food. However, nutritional and contaminant-related implications of recent dietary shifts are hindered by the fact that few studies have documented foods consumed by diving ducks before zebra mussels invaded the Great Lakes in 1988. We examined diets of greater scaup (Aythya marila), lesser scaup (Aythya affinis), and long-tailed ducks (Clangula hyemalis) collected from eastern Lake Ontario during autumn 1986 and 1987 to determine differences among the 3 species. Gastropods were the main food item of greater (92% aggregate dry mass) and lesser scaup (86%), but they consumed relatively small amounts (3% and 7%, respectively) of amphipods. In contrast, amphipods made up 66% of the diets of long-tailed ducks; gastropods were 28% of their diet. Amphipod populations have increased and native gastropods decreased in the presence of zebra mussels in the lower Great Lakes, such that zebra mussel invasion likely has had greater dietary implications for scaup than for long-tailed ducks. Dietary shifts from nonfilter-feeding gastropods to filter-feeding zebra mussels likely contributed to elevated contaminant burdens in lesser and greater scaup on the lower Great Lakes. We encourage further research into the diet-, nutrient-, and contaminant-related implications of zebra mussel induced ecological changes to the Great Lakes.

Ecosystem services are the benefits that humans derive from ecosystems. Freshwater mussels perform many important functions in aquatic ecosystems, which can in turn be framed as the ecosystem services that they contribute to or provide. These include supporting services such as nutrient recycling and storage, structural habitat, substrate and food web modification, and use as environmental monitors; regulating services such as water purification (biofiltration); and provisioning and cultural services including use as a food source, as tools and jewelry, and for spiritual enhancement. Mussel-provided ecosystem services are declining because of large declines in mussel abundance. Mussel propagation could be used to restore populations of common mussel species and their ecosystem services. We need much more quantification of the economic, social, and ecological value and magnitude of ecosystem services provided by mussels, across species, habitats, and environmental conditions, and scaled up to whole watersheds. In addition, we need tools that will allow us to value mussel ecosystem services in a way that is understandable to both the public and to policy makers.

We performed a meta-analysis of published studies and long-term monitoring data sets to evaluate the effects of dreissenid mussels (Dreissena polymorpha and D. rostriformis bugensis), two of the world's most problematic biological invaders, on the biogeochemistry, flora, and fauna of lakes and rivers across North America and Eurasia. Dreissenid effects were structured along two distinct energy pathways. For the pelagic–profundal pathway, large mean reductions in phytoplankton (−35% to −78%) and zooplankton (−40% to −77%) biomass occurred and were dependent on habitat type. The largest effects were found in rivers, followed by littoral and pelagic habitats in lakes. In contrast, benthic energy pathways within littoral habitats of lakes and rivers showed dramatic increases in mean benthic algal and macrophyte biomass (+170% to +180%), sediment-associated bacteria (about +2000%), non-dreissenid zoobenthic biomass (+160% to +210%), and total zoobenthic biomass, which includes dreissenid mussel soft tissues (+2000%). Our study quantifies the remarkable ability of these invasive mussels to shift aquatic food webs and energy flow from pelagic–profundal to benthic–littoral energy pathways, and it provides a basis for forecasting their impacts in diverse freshwater ecosystems. Our meta-analysis approach was a powerful tool for moving beyond the idiosyncrasies of individual case studies and may be equally powerful for assessing impacts of other biological invaders.

Aquatic food webs that incorporate multiple energy channels (e.g., nearshore benthic and pelagic) with varying productivity and turnover rates convey stability to biological communities by providing independent energy sources. Within the Lake Michigan food web, invasive dreissenid mussels have caused rapid changes to food web structure and potentially altered the channels through which consumers acquire energy. We used stable C and N isotopes to determine how Lake Michigan food web structure has changed in the past decade, coincident with the expansion of dreissenid mussels, decreased pelagic phytoplankton production, and increased nearshore benthic algal production. Fish and invertebrate samples collected from sites around Lake Michigan were analyzed to determine taxa‐specific ¹³C:¹²C (δ¹³C) and ¹⁵N:¹⁴N (δ¹⁵N) ratios. Sampling took place during two distinct periods, 2002–2003 and 2010–2012, that spanned the period of dreissenid expansion, and included nearshore, pelagic and profundal fish and invertebrate taxa. The magnitude and direction of the δ¹³C shift indicated significantly greater reliance upon nearshore benthic energy sources among nearly all fish taxa as well as profundal invertebrates following dreissenid expansion. Although the mechanisms underlying this δ¹³C shift likely varied among species, possible causes include the transport of benthic algal production to offshore waters and increased feeding on nearshore prey items by pelagic and profundal species. δ¹⁵N shifts were more variable and of smaller magnitude across taxa, although declines in δ¹⁵N among some pelagic fishes suggest a shift to alternative prey resources. Lake Michigan fishes and invertebrates appear to have responded to dreissenid‐induced changes in nutrient and energy pathways by switching from pelagic to alternative nearshore energy subsidies. Although large shifts in energy allocation (i.e., pelagic to nearshore benthic) resulting from invasive species appear to affect total production at upper trophic levels, changes in trophic structure and utilization of novel energy pathways may help to stabilize food webs following species invasions.

In recent years, the occurrence of microplastics in the aquatic environment has gathered increasing scientific interest. Several studies have shown that the ingestion of microplastics may negatively influence the physiology of marine organisms having different feeding strategies, particularly in those species which cannot discriminate between food sources. Recent studies highlighted the potential for such particles to accumulate in the food web, posing risks to human health via the consumption of seafood. Furthermore, early findings also indicated the role of microplastics as vectors of chemical pollutants either used as additives during synthesis of the plastics or adsorbed directly from seawater, i.e., PAHs, PCB, and surfactants. Despite the importance of microplastics in adsorption and transport of hydrophobic pollutants, little is known about their distribution and accumulation in marine food webs, or their direct and indirect harmful effects. The Adriatic Sea represents a semi-enclosed basin with a low water recirculation rate and high anthropogenic pressures associated with unsustainable fishing and inputs of contaminants. The body burden, accumulation rates, polymer composition, and recurring morphotypes of microplastics in native blue mussels ( M. galloprovincialis ) were examined. Organisms collected offshore were compared to those collected in coastal areas. Microplastics were recovered from the soft tissues of all analyzed mussels. Coastal organisms showed a load of 1.06–1.33 fragments g −1 (wet weight) and 0.62–0.63 fibers g −1 (wet weight) while offshore organisms showed an accumulation of 0.65–0.66 fragments g −1 (wet weight) and 0.24–0.35 fibers g −1 (wet weight). The size class distribution revealed a marked prevalence of smaller particles (20 μm to 40 μm range) and the most recurring polymer type in analyzed organisms was PE followed by PP, PET, and equal amounts of PS, PLY, and PVC. A significant site-, time-, and oceanographic-related distribution trend was observed. Based on the findings presented here, there is a clear need to implement a seafood safety monitoring program to better understand actual human health–related risks.

Detritus is an important energy source of stream food webs. Being a mix of allochthonous and autochthonous sources, it is often unknown, which components contribute to the growth of stream organisms. This study focussed on the comparison of two different detritus types (riparian detritus and stream detritus) with respect to food quality and effects on growth as a fitness parameter of juvenile freshwater pearl mussels (FPM). We performed feeding experiments with juvenile FPM under laboratory conditions using the two detritus types from four different natural sources each. Food quality was determined by analysing the fatty acid composition. Stream detritus (conditioned to stream environment including autochthonous microbes) resulted in significantly higher growth rates of juvenile FPM than predominately terrestrial-based riparian detritus indicating higher food quality. Significantly positive correlations were found between mussel growth and different groups of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). This suggests that especially trace substances such as long-chained n-3 PUFAs and a high ratio of n-3 to n-6 PUFAs enhance the food quality of stream detritus for juvenile FPM. These results highlight the importance of instream conditioning of detritus for the food mix in headwater streams and the importance of PUFAs for the development of juvenile FPM.

The global decline of freshwater mussels is related with a great variety of factors, including the introduction of invasive species. However, the possible effects of other invasive bivalves, such as the Asian clam Corbicula fluminea (Müller, 1774), remain mainly unknown and highly speculative with very few manipulative experiments addressing this issue. In this study, field and laboratory experiments were conducted to assess the possible negative effects of C. fluminea on the native freshwater mussel Unio delphinus Spengler, 1783. Growth, physiological condition, and the locomotor activity were assessed in U. delphinus at increasing C. fluminea density. U. delphinus exhibited lower growth, lower physiological condition, and higher locomotor activity at higher C. fluminea density, which may suggest that this unionid is negatively affected by C. fluminea and may be displaced to less favorable habitats. Although we were not able to establish the main mechanism(s) responsible for these results, possibilities include competition for food resources, competition for space which may result in mussel displacements and/or changes in microhabitat features as a result of bioturbation activities, and production of feces and pseudofeces by C. fluminea.