Freshwater mussels are dying suddenly and in the thousands, with each mass death event bringing these endangered molluscs closer to extinction. Tragically, these events rarely get noticed.
Plants & Animals
Jan 12, 2022
0
110
Recent news stories told of the Lummi Nation, west of Bellingham, describing a tiny, invasive crab—about 3 inches across the shell—as an "environmental disaster" and "one of the most destructive" aquatic creatures in ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 03, 2022
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25
Some marine species can help protect others from climate change by shielding them from heat, according to a new study by a Texas A&M University at Galveston professor.
Ecology
Dec 16, 2021
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4
The freshwater mussel is an unassuming creature. It does not take up a lot of space in the world and it doesn't have the glamor of big aquatic creatures. It isn't a culinary delicacy and it doesn't inspire the creation of ...
Ecology
Dec 06, 2021
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6
North America's freshwater mussels are both impressively diverse and highly imperiled. Nearly 300 species occur in the United States and Canada, and up to 40 species of the hard-shelled bottom dwellers can be found on a single ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 16, 2021
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63
Blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) spend their days being buffeted by crashing waves. They manage to stay tethered to the rocks or their fellow mussels thanks to a highly effective underwater glue they produce. Because achieving ...
Materials Science
Oct 07, 2021
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843
During the last 10 to 15 years, blue mussels in shallow waters on Sweden's west coast have largely disappeared. Observations and reviews of studies and reports indicate that climate change may be behind the change.
Plants & Animals
Oct 07, 2021
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6
Death's come knocking a last time for the splendid ivory-billed woodpecker and 22 more birds, fish and other species: The U.S. government on Wednesday declared them extinct.
Ecology
Sep 29, 2021
3
53
Research led by the University of Nottingham has discovered two new species and a new genus of freshwater mussel in Borneo for the first time in almost 100 years.
Plants & Animals
Sep 07, 2021
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107
Hydrogels are everywhere. They are water-loving polymers that can absorb and retain water, and can be found in such everyday consumer products such as soft contact lenses, disposable diapers, certain foods, and even in agricultural ...
Polymers
Aug 30, 2021
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436
Pteriomorpha (marine mussels) Palaeoheterodonta (freshwater mussels) Heterodonta (zebra mussels)
The common name mussel is used for members of several families of clams or bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.
The word "mussel" is most frequently used to mean the edible bivalves of the marine family Mytilidae, most of which live on exposed shores in the intertidal zone, attached by means of their strong byssal threads ("beard") to a firm substrate. A few species (in the genus Bathymodiolus) have colonized hydrothermal vents associated with deep ocean ridges.
In most marine mussels the shell is longer than it is wide, being wedge-shaped or asymmetrical. The external color of the shell is often dark blue, blackish, or brown, while the interior is silvery and somewhat nacreous.
The word "mussel" is also used for many freshwater bivalves, including the freshwater pearl mussels. Freshwater mussel species inhabit lakes, ponds, rivers, creeks, canals, and similar habitats. These bivalves belong to several allied families, the largest family being the Unionidae. They are not closely related to saltwater mussels; they are taxonomically grouped in a different subclass, despite some very superficial similarities in appearance.
Freshwater Zebra mussels and their relatives in the family Dreissenidae are not related to previously mentioned groups, even though they resemble many Mytilus species in shape, and live attached to rocks and other hard surfaces in a similar manner, using a byssus. They are classified with the Heterodonta, the taxonomic group which includes most of the bivalves commonly referred to as "clams".
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA
