Freshwater molluscs are those members of the

Phylum In biology, a phylum (; plural: phyla) is a level of classification or taxonomic rank below kingdom and above class. Traditionally, in botany the term division has been used instead of phylum, although the International Code of Nomenclature f ...

Mollusca Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...

which live in

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s, both

lotic River ecosystems are flowing waters that drain the landscape, and include the Biotic component, biotic (living) interactions amongst plants, animals and micro-organisms, as well as abiotic (nonliving) physical and chemical interactions of its man ...

(flowing water) such as rivers, streams, canals, springs, and cave streams (

stygobite Stygofauna are any fauna that live in groundwater systems or aquifers, such as caves, fissures and vugs. Stygofauna and troglofauna are the two types of subterranean fauna (based on life-history). Both are associated with subterranean environme ...

species) and

lentic A lake ecosystem or lacustrine ecosystem includes biotic (living) plants, animals and micro-organisms, as well as abiotic (non-living) physical and chemical interactions. Lake ecosystems are a prime example of lentic ecosystems (''lentic'' re ...

(still water) such as lakes, ponds (including temporary or

vernal pond Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are seasonal pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals. They are considered to be a distinctive type of wetland usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe ...

s), and ditches. This article is about freshwater Mollusca in general; for information on one particular family of freshwater molluscs, please follow the appropriate links in the lists below. The two major classes of molluscs have representatives in freshwater: the

gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

s (snails) and the

bivalves Bivalvia (), in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class of marine and freshwater molluscs that have laterally compressed bodies enclosed by a shell consisting of two hinged parts. As a group, bival ...

(freshwater

mussel Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and Freshwater bivalve, freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other ...

s and

clam Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve molluscs. The word is often applied only to those that are edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the seafloor or riverbeds. Clams have two she ...

s.) It appears that the other classes within the Phylum Mollusca -the

cephalopods A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda (Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, an ...

, scaphopods, polyplacophorans, etc. - never made the transition from a fully marine environment to a freshwater environment. A few species of freshwater molluscs are among the most notorious

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

. In contrast, numerous others have become threatened or have become extinct in the face of

anthropogenic Anthropogenic ("human" + "generating") is an adjective that may refer to: * Anthropogeny, the study of the origins of humanity Counterintuitively, anthropogenic may also refer to things that have been generated by humans, as follows: * Human im ...

change.

Biogeography

Typical freshwater species (such as many river mussel species in the family

Unionidae The Unionidae are a family of freshwater mussels, the largest in the order Unionida, the bivalve molluscs sometimes known as river mussels, or simply as unionids. The range of distribution for this family is world-wide. It is at its most diverse ...

) have a

range Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to i ...

which may consist of a series of adjacent river systems, a series of adjacent tributaries, or part of a single large river system. Large rivers and small tributary creeks typically share few species, and distribution patterns suggest large lowland rivers represent substantial barriers to the dispersal of species adapted to small upland streams.

Endemism Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

is common in some families, and species may be endemic to a single creek or spring. In contrast, some of the tiny pill clams have a nearly worldwide distribution (Burch, 1972)

Ecological and anatomical challenges

Challenges in the natural environment faced by freshwater Mollusca include floods, droughts, siltation, extreme temperature variations, predation, and the constant unidirectional flow characteristic of river habitats.

Osmoregulation Osmoregulation is the active regulation of the osmotic pressure of an organism's body fluids, detected by osmoreceptors, to maintain the homeostasis of the organism's water content; that is, it maintains the fluid balance and the concentration o ...

, or the maintenance of constant salinity within body tissue and fluids, is another challenge faced by freshwater Mollusca. Dillon (2000)Dillon, Robert T. 2000. The Ecology of Freshwater Molluscs. Cambridge University Press. 509 pp. indicates that they have characteristically low tissue salinities relative to other freshwater animals, and unionid mussels have some of the lowest tissue salinities of any animal.

Freshwater bivalves

Families of freshwater bivalves occur within the orders

Unionida Unionida is a monophyletic order of freshwater mussels, aquatic bivalve molluscs.Bieler R., Carter J.G. & Coan E.V. (2010). ''Classification of Bivalve families''. pp. 113–133, in: Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (2010), ''Nomenclator of Bivalve Fa ...

and

Venerida Venerida (formerly Veneroida) is an order of mostly saltwater but also some freshwater bivalve molluscs. This order includes many familiar groups such as many clams that are valued for food and a number of freshwater bivalves. Since the 2000s, ...

Freshwater gastropods

Ten families of prosobranchiate snails (gilled

operculate The operculum (; ) is a corneous or calcareous anatomical structure like a trapdoor that exists in many (but not all) groups of sea snails and freshwater snails, and also in a few groups of land snails; the structure is found in some marine and ...

snails) and five pulmonate families (lunged snails, distantly related to common landsnails) inhabit freshwater environments in many parts of the world. Some

freshwater snail Freshwater snails are gastropod mollusks which live in fresh water. There are many different families. They are found throughout the world in various habitats, ranging from ephemeral pools to the largest lakes, and from small seeps and springs ...

species serve as

hosts A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places *Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman *Michel Host ( ...

for human and animal parasites.

References

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External links