Host-dependent evolution, ecology and conservation of freshwater mussels under varying hydrological conditions: consequences of climate change

Freshwater mussels are amongst the most endangered fauna in the world, presenting several unusual life history traits that include high longevity and an obligatory parasitic larval stage. The specificity of the parasite-host relation depends on the species. Being sessile adults, freshwater mussels depend on their hosts movements and on the hydrological patterns of the rivers for their dispersal, and hence to maintain connectivity within and between populations.

Evolutionary paths of each species are largely unknown. The aim of this project is to clarify this issue with a multidisciplinary approach that tackles population genetics, reproductive biology and hydrology. The population genetics design will consider species with different host-parasite relations and living in hydrologically distinct habitats, so that different population structures may be related to differences in these factors. A combination of observational and experimental studies will be set in place to clarify the role of hydrology. Finally, results will be integrated with other environmental factors to model the species current distribution and future distribution affected by climate change.

The results of this project should be directly usable for conservation purposes, helping us to anticipate threats to the populations caused by hydrological changes in the systems. The project will count with a highly qualified multidisciplinary team, including geneticists, ecologists, applied biologists and hydraulic civil engineers that will ensure the success of the proposed tasks. Each partner has the necessary major equipment for the project, with special mention for hydraulic flumes at the University of Coimbra, where experiments will take place, and drone technology applied to environmental studies.

The availability of these resources will facilitate and reduce the costs of the implementation of the project at its different stages. We will also count with the collaboration of international research teams. The combination of appropriate team and logistics will insure that the results will be highly relevant for publication in international journals and conferences.

Finally, this project is an opportunity to bring together different expertize from different fields of knowledge into a common objective. These synergies will be enhanced by providing advanced training to students: we aim to hire two MSc and expect that at least on PhD dissertation will result from the project.