3 documents found, page 1 of 1
The silent extinction of freshwater mussels in Portugal
Lopes-Lima, M.; Reis, J.; Alvarez, Maria G.; Anastácio, P. M.; Banha, F.; Beja, P.; Castro, P.; Gama, Mafalda; Gil, M. G.; Gomes-dos-Santos, A.Freshwater mussels are one of the most threatened animal groups in the world. In the European Union, threatened and protected mussel species are not adequately monitored, while species considered to be common and widespread receive even less attention. This is particularly worrying in the Mediterranean region, where species endemism is high and freshwater habitats are severely affected by water scarcity. In the...
Time travelling through local ecological knowledge regarding an endangered species
Sousa, Ronaldo Gomes; Nogueira, J. G.; Miranda, F.; Teixeira, A.European freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) populations are declining despite a growing effort to conserve them. Here we used a combination of local ecological knowledge (LEK) and field sampling to assess past and current distribution and conservation status of this endangered species in Cávado and Neiva Rivers (Portugal). We performed face-to-face interviews in both rivers and sampled the en...
A tale of shells and claws: the signal crayfish as a threat to the pearl mussel...
Sousa, Ronaldo Gomes; Nogueira, J. G.; Ferreira, A.; Carvalho, F.; Lopes-Lima, M.; Varandas, S.; Teixeira, A.The freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera is a highly threatened species in Europe. Several mechanisms may be responsible for the decline in distribution and abundance of European pearl mussel populations, but almost no quantitative data exists about the possible negative impacts of invasive alien species (IAS). In this study, we clearly demonstrate that the invasive signal crayfish Pacifastacus l...