Laboratory bioassays results suggest that early life stages of freshwater mussels are sensitivity to toxicants. However, toxicological databases for unionids are rather limited because standard test methods are yet developed, and no published studies report endpoints for chronic test that are > 9 days. The primary goals of my thesis research were to assess acute and chronic toxicities of chlorine and mercury to early life stages. Inter- and intra-specific species variability in the tolerances of glochidia was observed during acute laboratory bioassays as endpoints were between 8 - 43 ppb for Hg tests, 1.0 - 2.5 ppm for NaCl tests, and 70 - 260 ppb for chlorine (TRC) tests. Glochidia of several species had equal or greater sensitivities to Hg and NaCl than test organisms commonly used to assess environmental risk (i.e.Ceridaphnia dubia, Daphnia magna, Pimephales promelas), whereas they were far more tolerant to TRC than many species. Twenty-one day chronic test endpoints for juveniles were substantially lower than those calculated during acute bioassays with glochidia. Villosa iris 3-mo old juveniles were found to be quite sensitive to Hg as growth was significantly impaired at 8 ppb Hg. Chronic bioassays with TRC revealed a distinct decrease in susceptibility with increased aged for V. iris (relative sensitivities 3-mo > 6-mo > 12-mo), and that 2-mo old Epioblasma capsaeformis were more sensitive than comparable age classes of V. iris. However, both species were tolerant compared to other aquatic organisms, as the lowest endpoint was 20 ppb TRC. / Master of Science

More than half the North American freshwater mussel species in the family Unionidae (unionids) are imperiled or extinct. Alteration of rivers is considered a major contributor to unionid population declines. Losses could occur through disruption of the reproductive cycle. Unionid reproduction requires attachment of larva (glochidia) to host fishes; therefore, changes in the host fish community could alter the reproductive potential in unionid communities. There have been few attempts to compare reproductive success before and after alteration. I examined the pattern of glochidia use on two common host fishes, Lepomis megalotis and Cyprinella venusta, before and after alteration of the Tombigbee River. While both host species declined in the river, the number of glochidia per infested fish and proportion of infested fish increased post-impoundment in L. megalotis but not C. venusta. My results demonstrate the importance of considering reproductive changes as a driver of unionid mussel declines in North America.

Host fishes for the state-endangered Tennessee heelsplitter (Lasmigona holstonia) and state-threatened black sandshell (Ligumia recta) were identified through induced infestations of glochidia on potential hosts. Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), yellow perch (Perca flavescens), convict cichlid (Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum), platy (Xiphophorus maculatus), green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus), rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris), redbreast sunfish (Lepomis auritus), and white perch (Morone americana) were identified as suitable hosts for L. recta. The banded sculpin (Cottus carolinae) and rock bass were identified as hosts for L. holstonia; striped shiner (Luxilus chrysocephalus), central stoneroller (Campostoma anomalum), and warpaint shiner (Luxilus coccogenis) were identified as potential hosts. Additionally, rock bass and bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) were identified as potential hosts for the state-endangered spectaclecase (Cumberlandia monodonta), with numerous encysted glochidia present at 11 days postinfestation when the fish died. Recirculating culture systems of different design were tested for suitability in juvenile mussel culture. In one system (high maintenance), juveniles of the wavy-rayed lampmussel, Lampsilis fasciola, were kept in culture dishes, and in the other system (low maintenance), the juveniles were kept in culture beds. At the end of the 16-wk culture period, the 31.3% (± 15.4) survival exhibited in the dish culture system was significantly greater than the 3.1% (± 2.8) survival in the bed culture system (P< 0.01, Tukey-Kramer). However, mussels grown in the bed system exhibited significantly greater growth (1.4 ± 0.50 mm height, 1.8 ± 0.76 mm length) than those grown in the dish system (0.86 ± 0.19 mm height, 1.1 ± 0.27 mm length) (P<0.01, Tukey-Kramer). Using the high maintenance dish culture system and juveniles of L. fasciola, the influence of high (4.1%) and low (2.5 %) organic content in substrate, and high (250 mg/L CaCO₃) and low (50 mg/L CaCO₃) water hardness levels were assessed on growth and survival. After 15 wk, juveniles in the high water hardness treatment exhibited significantly greater survival and growth (44.2 ± 9.3% survival, 1.5 ± 0.28 mm height, 2.1 ± 0.41 mm length) than those in the low water hardness treatment (9.0 ± 7.9% survival, 1.3 ± 0.25 mm height, 1.8 ± 0.37 mm length) (P<0.01, Tukey- Kramer). Juveniles in the high organic substrate exhibited similar growth (1.41 ± 0.24 mm height, 1.96 +- 0.37 mm length) to those in the low organic substrate (1.39 ± 0.28 mm height, 1.94 ± 0.42 mm length). Juveniles grown in high hardness and high organic substrate had similar survival (27.4 +- 9.2%) to those in low organic substrate (25.8 ± 8.1 %). For the culture of L. fasciola juveniles, I recommend using a culture system that is cleaned regularly (weekly), receives a consistent (daily) supply of algal food, has relatively even flow, and from which juveniles are easily sampled. I recommend culturing them in relatively hard water (~ 250 mg/L CaCO₃), in a substratum with some organic content. These recommendations may warrant modification for the culture of other freshwater mussel species. / Master of Science

Parasiter kan påverka sina värdar på många olika sätt. Flodpärlmusslans (Margaritifera margaritifera L.) glochidielarver lever inkapslade som parasiter på gälarna hos öring (Salmo trutta L.) i flera månader innan de blir frilevande. Genom experiment i ett strömakvarium har denna studie undersökt hypoteserna att öring med inkapslade gälparasiter tar färre byten, och simmar kortare avstånd när de födosöker än öring utan gälparasiter.   Resultaten visade att infekterad öring tog signifikant färre byten/minut än oinfekterad öring både i början och i slutet av en födosöksperiod under vilken individerna konfronterades med tvåhundra poteniella byten. Vilket visar att infekterad öring har en lägre furageringshastighet är oinfekterad öring. Däremot påvisades ingen skillnad mellan öring med och utan parasiter med avseende på antal byten tagna i förhållande till avstånd från bytet.    Den lägre furageringshastigheten som påvisades hos de infekterade öringarna tyder på att infektion av flodpärlmusslans larver kan ha negativa effekter på fiskarnas tillväxt, och därmed överlevnad. Detta kan bero på faktorer som minskad aktivitet, ökad ventilation och förändringar i beteende hos de infekterade fiskarna, som är en effekt av parasitinfektionen. / Parasites can impact their hosts in many different ways. The larval glochida of freshwater pearl mussels (Margaritifera Margaritifera L.) infect the gills of brown trout (Salmo trutta L.), where they spend several months before becoming free-living. Using stream aquarium experiments, this study investigated the hypotheses that infected trout would capture fewer prey, and would swim less distance to capture prey, than would uninfected trout.   The results showed that infected brown trout caught significantly fewer prey/minute both at the beginning and at the end of a foraging period during which individuals were fed two hundred potential prey. This suggests that infected brown trout have a lower foraging rate than uninfected brown trout. However, no significant difference between infected and uninfected fish was found in terms of the number of prey taken in relation to distance to the prey.   The lower foraging rate for infected brown trout suggests that infection of the freshwater pearl mussel’s glochidia may have negative effects on their growth rate, and consequently survival. This may be due to factors such as reduced activity, increased ventilation and changes in behavior, which are effects from the parasite infection.

Fiskar kan drabbas av många olika parasiter tillhörande ett brett spektrum av organismgrupper. Parasiter kan påverka värdens fysiologi, morfologi och beteende, vilket kan ha negativa effekter på värden.  Den starkt hotade flodpärlmusslan (Margaritifera margaritifera) parasiterar under sitt tidiga liv som glochidielarver på fiskgälar, i Sverige främst på öringen (Salmo trutta). I tidigare studier har man sett såväl negativa som inga effekter av parasiteringen på värdfisken. Syftet med min studie var att undersöka effekten av musslans parasitering på öringens rörelse, habitatval och tillväxt i Älgån i Arvika kommun, Värmland. Resultaten visade att höginfekterad öring förflyttade sig längre sträckor och hade lägre tillväxt än låginfekterad öring. Det var ingen skillnad mellan hög- och låginfekterade öringars habitatval med avseende på djup, vattenhastighet eller substrat. Sammanfattningsvis kan höginfekterade öringar ha högre mortalitetsrisk än låginfekterade, lägre tillväxt och sämre konkurrensförmåga, vilket kan ha negativa konsekvenser för musslans rekryteringsframgång. / Fish are affected by various parasites, belonging to many different taxonomic groups. Parasites can affect the host’s physiology, morphology, and behaviour, which may have negative effects for the host. The critically endangered freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) lives parasitically as glochidia larvae on the gills of fish, and in Sweden this occurs mainly in the gills of brown trout (Salmo trutta). During their parasitic stage, which lasts for almost one year, the mussel grows up to four or five times their initial size.  Previous studies have reported both negative and no effects of the parasite on the host fish. The aim of my study was to analyse the effect of the freshwater pearl mussel parasitation on the brown trout’s movement, habitat choice, and growth in the stream Älgån in Arvika municipalty, Värmland. The results show that highly infected brown trout moved greater distances and had lower growth than less infected trout. There was no difference in habitat choice in terms of depth, velocity, or substrate between high or low infected trout. In summary, highly infected trout may have high energy costs, low growth, and poor competitive ability, which can have negative consequences for the mussel’s recruitment.

The thick shelled river mussel belongs to a highly endangered group of organisms worldwide. A parasitic larval stage is included in the mussel's life cycle where its glochidia larvae attach to the gills of a host fish. The glochidia infection can affect the ability of fish populations to form schools, a behavior that is fundamental to the survival of many fish species. As the mussel is involved in conservation projects where the reintroduction of the glochidia larva is included, one should know more about how the parasite affects its host to be able to make well-founded decisions regarding possible reintroduction. In this study, a group of glochidia-infected minnows is compared to a control group where it was analyzed if the infected fish obtained a higher nearest neighbor distance (NND), a larger average school area (ASA) and a lower movement of the schools (MOS), two and four weeks after being infected. The minnows were infected in vitro where their schooling behavior was recorded with a video camera of which the footage material where analyzed. Collected data were analyzed with 2-way ANOVAS, where the results showed that there is a relationship between infection and changed schooling behavior with respect to the density and area of the fishes in general. NND and ASA increased in the infected group, but not in the non-infected group, at two and four weeks. If the goal through conservation measures is to restore the original balance of the parasite-host interactions of the thick shelled river mussel and the minnow, more research on how mussel parasites affect its fish hosts should be done. / Den tjockskaliga målarmusslan tillhör en starkt hotad organismgrupp över hela världen. Ett parasitiskt larvstadium ingår i musslans livscykel där dess glochidielarver fäster vid gälarna hos en värdfisk. Denna glochidieinfektion kan påverka fiskpopulationens förmåga att bilda stim, ett beteende som är grundläggande för många fiskarters överlevnad. Då musslan är med i bevarandeprojekt där återintroduktion av glochidielarven ingår bör kunskapen fördjupas gällande hur parasiten påverkar sin värd för att kunna ta välgrundade beslut inför eventuella åtgärder. I den här studien jämfördes glochidieinfekterade elritsor med en kontrollgrupp där det undersöks om de infekterade fiskarna får en högre nearest neighbour distance (NND), en större average school area (ASA) och en lägre movement of the schools (MOS) två och fyra veckor efter att de infekterats. Elritsorna infekteras in vitro där deras stimbeteende spelades in med en videokamera för att sedan bildanalyseras. Insamlade data analyserades med 2-vägs-ANOVOR, där resultaten visade att det finns samband mellan infektion och förändrat stimbeteende med avseende på fiskarnas täthet och area generellt. NND och ASA ökade hos de infekterade, men inte för de icke-infekterade under två och fyra veckor. Om målet genom bevarandeåtgärder är att återställa den ursprungliga balansen i parasit-värdinteraktionen för den tjockskaliga målarmusslan och elritsan, bör det undersökas vidare hur musselparasiter påverkar sina värdfiskar.

Den globala uppvärmningen förväntas öka jordens medeltemperatur framledes, vilket innebär att nederbördmönster kommer att ändras till följd av torka och översvämningar. Detta kommer att innebära ett ökat hot för många sötvattensmusslor, som redan är en av de mest hotade grupperna i världen. Temperaturen är en essentiell abiotisk faktor som styr fortplantning, tillväxt och överlevnad. Att mäta kritiskt temperaturmaximum (KTM) är en metod som är framtaget för att användas för att få en förståelse huruvida organismer tål värmeökningar. Under processen sker en gradvis uppvärmning under ett snabbt förlopp, och vid uppnådd KTM utsätts organismen för en extrem stress. Vid flertalet utförda inventeringar i Sverige har uteblivna föryngringar av sötvattensmusslor upptäckts. Syftet är därav att vi i detta experiment ska se om det råder skillnader i värmekänslighet hos befruktade musslor kontra obefruktade musslor. Hypoteserna är (1) befruktad dammussla når KTM tidigare än obefruktad dammussla och (2) befruktad dammusslas fot är utan rörelsekontroll vid en lägre temperatur än hos de obefruktade.  Allmän dammussla (Anodonta anatina) användes till experimentet, då den är helt utesluten ur den internationella rödlistan och vanligt förekommande i svenska sötvatten. Musslorna, vilka plockades i Alsterälven, acklimatiserades i fyra dygn i 10 °C. Under experimentet värmdes vattnet kontinuerligt med 0,3 °C/min, tills KTM hade uppnåtts. Resultatet för hypotes (1) visar att befruktade dammusslor hade ett signifikant högre KTM än obefruktade (t-test, p=0,039), vilket är tvärtemot min hypotes. Resultat för hypotes (2) visar ingen skillnad mellan grupperna (t-test, p=0,54). Varför befruktade musslor uppnådde ett högre KTM skulle kunna bero på att glochidierna stört filtreringen, så pass att gälfunktionen stärkts, vilket lett till att de klarar att hålla igång filtreringen och sin egen metabolism vid högre temperaturer. Mer studier behövs för att få en ökad förståelse över musslors känslighet av temperaturförändringar. / Global warming is expected to increase the earth's average temperature in the future, which means that precipitation patterns will change as a result of droughts and floods. This will pose an increased threat to many freshwater mussels, which are already one of the most endangered groups in the world. Temperature is an essential abiotic factor that controls reproduction, growth and survival. Critical temperature maximum (CTM) is a method that has been developed to be used to gain an understanding of whether organisms can tolerate heat increases. During the process, a gradual heating takes place during a rapid process, and when CTM is reached, the organism is exposed to extreme stress. In the majority of inventories carried out in Sweden, missing rejuvenations of freshwater mussels have been discovered. The purpose is that in this experiment we will see if there are differences in heat sensitivity of fertilized mussels versus unfertilized mussels. The hypotheses are that (1) fertilized mussels reaches their CTM earlier than unfertilized mussels and (2) fertilized mussels relax their foot completely at a lower temperature than the unfertilized mussels. The result for hypothesis (1) shows that fertilized mussels had a significantly higher CTM than unfertilized (t-test, p = 0.039), which is contrary to my hypothesis. Results for hypothesis (2) show no difference between the groups (t-test, p = 0.54). The common duck mussel (Anodonta anatina) was used for the experiment, as it is not in the international red list and is commonly found in Swedish freshwaters. The mussels, which are from the Alsterälven River, were acclimatized for four days in 10 °C river water before the experiment. During the experiment, the water was continuously heated at 0.3 °C/min, until the CTM was reached. Why fertilized mussels achieved a higher CTM could be due to the fact that the glochidians disrupted the filtration, so much so that the gill function was strengthened, which led to them being able to keep the filtration going and their own metabolism at higher temperatures. More studies are needed to gain an increased understanding of mussels' sensitivity to temperature changes.