Hello freshwater pearl mussel friends! This Microscope Monday 🔬 we have some fascinating photos of glochidia encystment on a brown trout. So why do freshwater pearl mussel glochidia attach to fish gills? Thanks for asking! So after being released into the water, the microscopic glochidia actively attach (encyst) to the gills of a suitable fish, like a salmon or trout. The glochidia remain encysted on the fish gill for around nine months, and during this period a magical metamorphosis takes place – the glochidia transform into juvenile mussels, developing the basic structure of a young mussel. The juvenile mussels then detach from the fish's gills (this is termed excystment) and drop into the water. In the wild these newly developed juvenile mussels must then settle on the riverbed. They require a clean, gravelly substrate to bury into where they can continue their development into adult mussels. The parasitic stage on a fish is incredibly important as it allows the freshwater pearl mussel larvae to be dispersed upstream or to new areas, which is crucial for the species' survival. Without a host fish, the glochidia would be unable to undergo this amazing metamorphosis and develop into juvenile mussels, thus preventing the continuation of the mussel population. An observation from the FBA Ark is that the growth of encysted glochidia is highly correlated to water temperature, with a size disparity between encysted glochidia believed to be due to females releasing glochidia at different times/dates. You can find out more about the FBA Freshwater Pearl Mussel Ark on our website: https://www.fba.org.uk/freshwater-pearl-mussels #Microscopic #Glochidia #FreshwaterPearlMussels #MargaritiferaMargaritifera #SpeciesRecovery #Freshwater #Science #Conservation #Mussels #CaptiveBreeding #FreshwaterScience #FreshwaterEcology #FreshwaterBiology (fb)

Are you involved in freshwater biodiversity and water quality monitoring and research in the UK? Our friends at UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology are inviting individuals and organisations involved in those fields to take part in a short survey (approx. 15 minutes), to better understand community needs and priorities around monitoring of freshwater biodiversity, and the pressures it faces, in the UK. The information will be used to develop the structure and content of an online workshop focused on detecting and understanding pollutant impacts on UK freshwaters. Complete the UKCEH: Changing Status of Freshwater Biodiversity in the UK survey https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/ceh-online-surveys/the-changing-status-of-freshwater-biodiversity-in-the-uk-duplic #FreshwaterScience #FreshwaterEcology #FreshwaterBiology #Freshwater #Pollutants #Biodiversity #WaterQuality #CitizenScience #Research (fb)