Freshwater pearl mussel

Margaritifera margaritifera is a long-lived freshwater bivalve native to Europe and North America. Its larvae develop on the gills of salmon or trout before settling in riverbeds.

Glochidium: A larval stage of certain freshwater mussels that attaches to a fish, often on its gills. Freshwater pearl mussel larvae use this stage to attach to salmon or trout.
Bivalvia: A class of molluscs with two hinged shells and a body adapted for feeding and breathing in water. The freshwater pearl mussel is a bivalve with a two-part shell.
Freshwater pearl mussel conservation: The protection and recovery of Margaritifera margaritifera populations and their river habitats. It addresses the species' decline through habitat restoration and life-cycle management.
Freshwater pearl mussel decline: The widespread reduction and loss of Margaritifera margaritifera populations across its range. Declines reflect pressures on both adult mussels and the fish-dependent larval stage.
River Ehen: A river in Cumbria, England, that supports a notable population of freshwater pearl mussels. Its population is a prominent British example used in conservation and research.
Atlantic salmon: A migratory salmonid fish native to rivers draining into the North Atlantic. It is one of the fish that can carry the mussel's larvae on its gills.
Freshwater mussel: A bivalve mollusc that lives in freshwater, often partly buried in river or lake sediments. The pearl mussel belongs to this diverse group of aquatic animals.
River restoration: The repair of degraded rivers to restore ecological processes, habitats, and connectivity. Restoring flow and substrate can recreate conditions needed by mussels and host fish.
Recruitment failure: The failure of a population to produce and establish enough young individuals to replace older ones. Long-lived adults may persist for decades even when few juveniles survive.
River Spey: A Scottish river flowing into the Moray Firth, known for salmon and freshwater pearl mussels. The Spey illustrates the species' association with clean, salmon-bearing rivers.

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