New Publication out !

We studied the thermal tolerance and the impact of climate warming on growth and survival of freshwater pearl mussels (FPM). Our experiments included field mesocosm studies in five FPM-streams in the Vogtland region (Germany), as well as laboratory experiments at temperatures ranging from 1 to 26 °C. The upper thermal tolerance for the mussels ranged from 22.1 to 22.9 °C, resulting in low survival during hot summer periods in 2018 and 2019. Warming during winter did not significantly affect growth and survival, but survival during winter increased with the pre-overwintering shell length  depending on water temperatures during summer. Consequently, warming induces not only instantaneous but also time-delayed responses in FPM. These findings define the thermal niche of juvenile FPMs and have implications for water management, conservation strategies, and site selection for releasing captive-breeding mussels.

Wagner A, Linke D, Grunicke F, Berendonk TU (2024) Thermal Tolerance and Vulnerability to Climate Change of a Threatened Freshwater Mussel. Diversity. doi.org/10.3390/d16010039

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