Freshwater mussels of the Order Unionida provide important ecosystem functions and services, yet many of their populations are in decline. We comprehensively review the status of the 16 currently recognized species in Europe, collating for the first time their life-history traits, distribution, conservation status, habitat preferences, and main threats in order to suggest future management actions. In northern, central, and eastern Europe, a relatively homogeneous species composition is found in most basins. In southern Europe, despite the lower species richness, spatially restricted species make these basins a high conservation priority. Information on freshwater mussels in Europe is unevenly distributed with considerable differences in data quality and quantity among countries and species. To make conservation more effective in the future, we suggest greater international cooperation using standardized protocols and methods to monitor and manage European freshwater mussel diversity. Such an approach will not only help conserve this vulnerable group but also, through the protection of these important organisms, will offer wider benefits to freshwater ecosystems.

Aquatic Ecology Group Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Downing Street Cambridge CB2 3EJ U K

Aquatic Systems Biology Unit Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management Technische Universität München Mühlenweg 22 85350 Freising Germany

Biology Department of Art and Science Faculty Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Burdur Turkey

Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology University of Minho Campus de Gualtar 4710 057 Braga Portugal

CIMO Mountain Research Centre School of Agriculture Polytechnic Institute of Bragança Campus de Santa Apolónia Apartado 1172 5301 854 Bragança Portugal

CITAB Centre for Research and Technology of Agro Environment and Biological Sciences Forestry Department University of Trás os Montes and Alto Douro Apartado 1013 5001 811 Vila Real Portugal

CNR ISE Institute of Ecosystem Study Largo Tonolli 50 28922 Verbania Italy

Consultants in Aquatic Ecology and Engineering Blattfisch Gabelsbergerstraße 7 4600 Wels Austria

CRNFB Centre de Recherche de la Nature des Forêts et du Bois Gembloux Belgium

Departamento de Zooloxía e A F Fac Veterinaria Universidade de Santiago de Compostela 27002 Lugo Spain

Department of Biological and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä PO Box 35 FI 40014 Jyväskylä Finland

Department of Ecology and Environmental Conservation University of Plovdiv Tzar Assen Str 24 BG 4000 Plovdiv Bulgaria

Department of Hydroecology and Water Protection Faculty of Science Institute of Biology and Ecology University of Kragujevac 34000 Kragujevac Serbia

Department of Zoology and Fisheries Faculty of Agrobiology Food and Natural Resources Czech University of Life Sciences Prague Kamycka 129 Prague CZ 165 Czech Republic

Department of Zoology Division of Biology Faculty of Science University of Zagreb Rooseveltov trg 6 HR 10000 Zagreb Croatia

Equipe 'Exploration de la Biodiversité' USM 603 UMR 7138 'Systématique Adaptation Evolution' Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle Case Postale 51 55 Rue Buffon 75231 Paris Cedex 05 France

Faculty of Marine Sciences and Technology Mustafa Kemal University 31200 İskenderun Hatay Turkey

Gewässerökologie Wasserschöpfi 48 8055 Zurich Switzerland

Göteborg Natural History Museum Invetebrate Zoology Box 7283 402 35 Göteborg Sweden

Great Lakes Center Buffalo State College 1300 Elmwood Ave Buffalo NY 14222 U S A

Hellenic Centre For Marine Research Institute of Marine Biological Sciences and Inland Waters 46 7 km Athens Sounio Anavissos Attiki Greece

Institute for Biological Research 'Sinisa Stankovic' University of Belgrade 142 Bulevar despota Stefana 11000 Belgrade Serbia

Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research Bulgarian Academy of Sciences 2 Gagarin Str Sofia 1113 Bulgaria

Institute of Ecological Problems of the North of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences 163000 Arkhangelsk Russia

Institute of Nature Conservation Polish Academy of Sciences 31 120 Kraków Mickiewicza 33 Poland

Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research University of Porto Rua dos Bragas 289 4050 123 Porto Portugal

iotope 22 Bd Maréchal Foch 34 140 Mèze France

IUCN SSC Mollusc Specialist Group c o 219 Huntingdon Road Cambridge CB3 0DL U K

MTA Centre for Ecological Research Danube Research Institute Jávorka S u 14 2131 Göd Hungary

Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales CSIC C José Gutiérrez Abascal 2 28006 Madrid Spain

Museum of Geology University of Latvia Alberta 10 Rīga LV 1010 Latvia

Museum of Zoology University of Latvia Kronvalda Bulv 4 Rīga LV 1586 Latvia

Natur and Ëmwelt Fondation Hëllef fir d'Natur Kierchestrooss 2 L 9753 Heinerscheid Luxembourg

Norwegian Institute for Nature Research PO Box 5685 Sluppen NO 7485 Trondheim Norway

Rathdown Park Greystones County Wicklow Ireland

Research Unit Palaeontology Geological Institute Universiteit Gent Krijgslaan 281 B 9000 Gent Belgium

Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt Abteilung Marine Zoologie Sektion Malakologie Senckenberganlage 25 60325 Frankfurt Main Germany

Swedish museum of Natural History PO Box 50007 SE 104 05 Stockholm Sweden

Water Unit County Administration Board Jönköping SE 551 86 Jönköping Sweden

Zoological Museum Department of Biology University of Athens Athens Greece

Citace poskytuje Crossref.org

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