TY - JOUR

T1 - Survival and extinction of the southern populations of freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera in Russia (Leningradskaya and Novgorodskaya oblast)

AU - Popov, I. Yu

AU - Ostrovsky, A. N.

N1 - Funding Information: Acknowledgements The research was supported by Rufford Small Grants Foundation (in 2009 and 2011). We express our gratitude to the colleagues who helped us in different ways and encouraged our studies: Drs Lennart Henriksson, Nature and Man Ltd., Sweden; Thomas Ofenböck, Vienna Magistrat, Austria; Lee Hastie, University of Aberdeen, Scotland; Alexander Makhrov, Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Science, Russia. Drs M. Lopes Lima, Porto University, Portugal, Michael Winson, Heriot-Watt University, Scotland, and two anonymous reviewers kindly helped us to improve the early versions of the manuscript.

PY - 2014/9

Y1 - 2014/9

N2 - Information on the southern populations of the freshwater pearl mussel in Russia (Novgorodskaya and Leningradskaya oblast) is very scarce and has never been mentioned in the international scientific literature. Pearl fishing used to be common in this area in the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries but collapsed afterwards. Long-term field survey undertaken in 2006-2012 revealed that eight populations survived and at least 22 became extinct. The total number of mussels found was about 50,000, with the largest population in one small river consisting of approximately 40,000 individuals. Juveniles were found in six populations. The data obtained are of interest for assessing the resilience and stability of pearl mussel populations in response to potentially negative environmental and particularly anthropogenic impacts. The results are expected to inform future management strategies for conservation of suitable habitats for successful pearl mussel reproduction. The decline in host fish populations in the rivers appears to be the most significant threat to the survival of the existing pearl mussel populations.

AB - Information on the southern populations of the freshwater pearl mussel in Russia (Novgorodskaya and Leningradskaya oblast) is very scarce and has never been mentioned in the international scientific literature. Pearl fishing used to be common in this area in the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries but collapsed afterwards. Long-term field survey undertaken in 2006-2012 revealed that eight populations survived and at least 22 became extinct. The total number of mussels found was about 50,000, with the largest population in one small river consisting of approximately 40,000 individuals. Juveniles were found in six populations. The data obtained are of interest for assessing the resilience and stability of pearl mussel populations in response to potentially negative environmental and particularly anthropogenic impacts. The results are expected to inform future management strategies for conservation of suitable habitats for successful pearl mussel reproduction. The decline in host fish populations in the rivers appears to be the most significant threat to the survival of the existing pearl mussel populations.

KW - Extinction

KW - Freshwater pearl mussel

KW - Population state

KW - Russia

KW - Survival

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84902006759&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s10750-013-1640-4

DO - 10.1007/s10750-013-1640-4

M3 - Article

VL - 735

SP - 161

EP - 177

JO - Hydrobiologia

JF - Hydrobiologia

SN - 0018-8158

IS - 1

ER -