Journal article
Population structure and microhabitat preference of a threatened freshwater mussel, Westralunio carteri, in south-western Australia
Hydrobiologia, Vol.849(14), pp.3227-3244
2022
Appears in Open Access via Read & Publish Agreements
Abstract
Freshwater mussels are important functional components of aquatic ecosystems. Westralunio carteri is a threatened freshwater mussel species, endemic to south-western Australia, which has suffered a recent, dramatic decline in range. The density, size structure and distribution of adult mussels of this species within river reaches were investigated using quadrat searches and modelled against a range of microhabitat factors. Mussels were found from 26 sites in 14 different rivers at a mean density of 28.4 ± 2.3 individuals m−2. The distribution of W. carteri was highly aggregated within river reaches. The most important factors explaining mussel distribution were substrate grain size, substrate debris and distance from the riverbank, with finer substrate, the presence of woody debris and proximity to the riverbank associated with greater abundance of mussels. In all rivers where mussels were found, most populations appeared to be actively recruiting. However, no mussels were found in six sites, despite them having been recorded as present within the last 20 years, which suggests that the range of the species is still in decline. The identification of microhabitat requirements for W. carteri will assist in identifying suitable release sites for translocation and/or captive propagation, which may be required to prevent extinction of the species.
Details
- Title
- Population structure and microhabitat preference of a threatened freshwater mussel, Westralunio carteri, in south-western Australia
- Authors/Creators
- L. Ma (Author/Creator) - Murdoch UniversityS.J. Beatty (Author/Creator)D.L. Morgan (Author/Creator)A.J. Lymbery (Author/Creator)
- Publication Details
- Hydrobiologia, Vol.849(14), pp.3227-3244
- Publisher
- Kluwer Academic Publishers
- Identifiers
- 991005543141307891
- Copyright
- © 2022 The Authors.
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Metrics
17 File views/ downloads
136 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Citation topics
- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.2 Marine Biology
- 3.2.1002 Bivalve Ecology
- Web Of Science research areas
- Marine & Freshwater Biology
- ESI research areas
- Plant & Animal Science