Effects of an extreme drought on the endangered pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera: a before/after assessment
0106 biological sciences
Science & Technology
Resilience
Resistance
Conservation
15. Life on land
01 natural sciences
6. Clean water
Climate change
Extreme climatic events
14. Life underwater
Mortality
DOI:
10.1007/s10750-019-04103-1
Publication Date:
2019-10-30T20:27:03Z
AUTHORS (5)
ABSTRACT
Droughts can change the distribution and alter the behaviour, phenology and physiology of many species, leading in extreme cases to high mortalities or even extirpation. In this study, a before/after comparison was performed in two Portuguese river basins (Rabacal and Tuela) to assess the possible effects of an extreme drought on the abundance and size structure of two pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera populations, a Critically Endangered species in Europe. The hydrological year of 2017 was extremely dry in Portugal and this situation was responsible for a major reduction of the river flow and rapid decrease in the water levels during summer. One year after the drought, a significant reduction in abundance was observed (i.e. 27.6% for the Rabacal and 38.7% for the Tuela basin populations). However, no differences were detected in the size structure of the two pearl mussel populations. Droughts are predicted to increase in number and intensity and it is crucial to monitor M. margaritifera populations, given the low resistance (and possibly low resilience) of this species to these extreme conditions. Management measures that could help the conservation of pearl mussels are discussed.
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CITATIONS (19)
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