Conceptual and ethical considerations in invasion science.

Invasion science addresses interconnected ecological, economic, and social challenges posed by the introduction of nonnative species. Therefore, invasion scientists have to consider and reconcile interdisciplinary needs while addressing the potential implications of their findings. Navigating diverse disciplines, including environmental sciences, ecology, economics, and the humanities, invasion scientists seek to arrive at informed decisions on invasion risk, impact, and management.

A curated dataset on the distribution of West Palaearctic freshwater bivalves.

Freshwater bivalves (FWB) are attracting scientific and societal attention given their essential ecosystem services, ecological functions, and poor conservation status. Current knowledge of the spatial distribution of West Palearctic FWB is poor preventing the understanding of biogeography and conservation planning. One of the priorities of the pan-European networking project "CONFREMU - Conservation of freshwater mussels: a pan-European approach" funded by the European Union, was to fill the knowledge gap on the distribution of FWB in Europe and adjacent regions.

Parallels and discrepancies between non-native species introductions and human migration.

Biological invasions and human migrations have increased globally due to socio-economic drivers and environmental factors that have enhanced cultural, economic, and geographic connectivity. Both processes involve the movement, establishment, and spread of species, yet unfold within fundamentally different philosophical, social and biological contexts. Hence, studying biological invasions (invasion science) and human migration (migration studies) presents complex parallels that are potentially fruitful to explore.

A systematic review of invasive non-native freshwater bivalves.

The introduction of invasive species has become an increasing environmental problem in freshwater ecosystems due to the high economic and ecological impacts it has generated. This systematic review covers publications from 2010 to 2020, focusing on non-native invasive freshwater bivalves, a particularly relevant and widespread introduced taxonomic group in fresh waters. We collected information on the most studied species, the main objectives of the studies, their geographical location, study duration, and type of research.

The complete mitochondrial genome of (Kobelt, 1879).

Freshwater mussels (Bivalvia, Unionida) play essential roles in the well-functioning of ecosystems, even providing essential services to humans. However, these bivalves face numerous threats (e.g.

Freshwater Mussels as Sentinels for Safe Drinking Water Supply in Europe.

In the context of the European Union (EU) Drinking Water Directive, freshwater mussels (Order Unionoida: Bivalvia) can help us face the challenges of safe drinking water provisions for all citizens in the EU. Specifically, the implementation of high frequency noninvasive (HFNI) valvometers allows the early detection of eventual pollution events in drinking water treatment plants. Currently real-time behavioral analysis is deployed in a number of EU countries, and we foresee a bright future as new technological advances are developed concerning HFNI valvometers.

Drivers of species knowledge across the tree of life.

Knowledge of biodiversity is unevenly distributed across the Tree of Life. In the long run, such disparity in awareness unbalances our understanding of life on Earth, influencing policy decisions and the allocation of research and conservation funding. We investigated how humans accumulate knowledge of biodiversity by searching for consistent relationships between scientific (number of publications) and societal (number of views in Wikipedia) interest, and species-level morphological, ecological, and sociocultural factors.

Streams in the Mediterranean Region are not for mussels: Predicting extinctions and range contractions under future climate change.

Climate change is becoming the leading driver of biodiversity loss. The Mediterranean region, particularly southwestern Europe, is already confronting the consequences of ongoing global warming. Unprecedented biodiversity declines have been recorded, particularly within freshwater ecosystems.

Identifying freshwater priority areas for cross-taxa interactions.

Information about biotic interactions (e.g. competition, predation, parasitism, diseases, mutualism, allelopathy) is fundamental to better understand species distribution and abundance, ecosystem functioning, and ultimately guide conservation efforts.

Freshwater mussel conservation: A global horizon scan of emerging threats and opportunities.

We identified 14 emerging and poorly understood threats and opportunities for addressing the global conservation of freshwater mussels over the next decade. A panel of 17 researchers and stakeholders from six continents submitted a total of 56 topics that were ranked and prioritized using a consensus-building Delphi technique. Our 14 priority topics fell into five broad themes (autecology, population dynamics, global stressors, global diversity, and ecosystem services) and included understanding diets throughout mussel life history; identifying the drivers of population declines; defining metrics for quantifying mussel health; assessing the role of predators, parasites, and disease; informed guidance on the risks and opportunities for captive breeding and translocations; the loss of mussel-fish co-evolutionary relationships; assessing the effects of increasing surface water changes; understanding the effects of sand and aggregate mining; understanding the effects of drug pollution and other emerging contaminants such as nanomaterials; appreciating the threats and opportunities arising from river restoration; conserving understudied hotspots by building local capacity through the principles of decolonization; identifying appropriate taxonomic units for conservation; improved quantification of the ecosystem services provided by mussels; and understanding how many mussels are enough to provide these services.

A roadmap for the conservation of freshwater mussels in Europe.

Europe has a long history of human pressure on freshwater ecosystems. As pressure continues to grow and new threats emerge, there is an urgent need for conservation of freshwater biodiversity and its ecosystem services. However, whilst some taxonomic groups, mainly vertebrates, have received a disproportionate amount of attention and funds, other groups remain largely off the public and scientific radar.

A global synthesis of ecosystem services provided and disrupted by freshwater bivalve molluscs.

Identification of ecosystem services, i.e. the contributions that ecosystems make to human well-being, has proven instrumental in galvanising public and political support for safeguarding biodiversity and its benefits to people.

Comparative performance and reusability studies of lipases on syntheses of octyl esters with an economic approach.

A suitable immobilized lipase for esters syntheses should be selected considering not only its cost. We evaluated five biocatalysts in syntheses of octyl caprylate, octyl caprate, and octyl laurate, in which conversions higher than 90% were achieved. Novozym 435 and non-commercial preparations (including a dry fermented solid) were selected for short-term octyl laurate syntheses using different biocatalysts loadings.

Alarming decline of freshwater trigger species in western Mediterranean key biodiversity areas.

Theidentification of key biodiversity areas (KBA) was initiated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2004 to overcome taxonomic biases in the selection of important areas for conservation, including freshwater ecosystems. Since then, several KBAs have been identified mainly based on the presence of trigger species (i.e.

The role of anthropogenic habitats in freshwater mussel conservation.

Anthropogenic freshwater habitats may provide undervalued prospects for long-term conservation as part of species conservation planning. This fundamental, but overlooked, issue requires attention considering the pace that humans have been altering natural freshwater ecosystems and the accelerated levels of biodiversity decline in recent decades. We compiled 709 records of freshwater mussels (Bivalvia, Unionida) inhabiting a broad variety of anthropogenic habitat types (from small ponds to large reservoirs and canals) and reviewed their importance as refuges for this faunal group.

Towards a taxonomically unbiased European Union biodiversity strategy for 2030.

Through the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) and the financial investments of the LIFE projects, Europe has become an experimental arena for biological conservation. With an estimated annual budget of €20 billion, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 has set an ambitious goal of classifying 30% of its land and sea territory as Protected Areas and ensuring no deterioration in conservation trends and the status of protected species. We analysed LIFE projects focused on animals from 1992 to 2018 and found that investment in vertebrates was six times higher than that for invertebrates (€970 versus €150 million), with birds and mammals alone accounting for 72% of species and 75% of the total budget.

and low-cost monitoring of particles falling from freshwater animals: from microplastics to parasites.

A simple and low-cost method of monitoring and collecting particulate matter detaching from (or interacting with) aquatic animals is described using a novel device based on an airlift pump principle applied to floating cages. The efficiency of the technique in particle collection is demonstrated using polyethylene microspheres interacting with a cyprinid fish () and a temporarily parasitic stage (glochidia) of an endangered freshwater mussel () dropping from experimentally infested host fish (). The technique enables the monitoring of temporal dynamics of particle detachment and their continuous collection both in the laboratory and , allowing the experimental animals to be kept under natural water quality regimes and reducing the need for handling and transport.

Time travelling through local ecological knowledge regarding an endangered species.

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 entire area where the respondents confirmed the historical presence of this species.

Small hydropower plants as a threat to the endangered pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera.

Freshwater mussels are undergoing rapid global declines due to habitat loss and fragmentation, among other factors, but little is known about the effects of small hydropower plants. Here we assessed the impact of small hydropower plants on the abundance and size structure of the imperilled pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera. For this, we sampled 66 sites in three Portuguese rivers (Mente, Rabaçal and Tuela) located upstream and downstream of dams and within the reservoirs.

Potential impacts of the invasive species Corbicula fluminea on the survival of glochidia.

Freshwater mussels (Bivalvia, Unionida) are one of the most imperilled faunal groups globally, being the introduction of invasive species a possible major mechanism of threat. The Asian clam Corbicula fluminea is a problematic invasive species in aquatic ecosystems and can impair the survival of parasitic larvae (glochidia) of native freshwater mussels. However, this possible mechanism of threat remains speculative and to date very few studies addressed quantitatively this issue.