Allometry in the freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera L.): mussels grow flatter at higher water speed

Abstract

The freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) is one of the longest-lived invertebrate species in the world and one of the most threatened freshwater animals in Europe. Its southernmost populations, located in northwestern Spain, are in a critical conservation situation and are still understudied. Here we calibrate a non-invasive method for calculating the volume of the shell and use it to study the ontogenetic scaling of shell volume on shell length. We characterized ontogenetic growth and determined allometric relationships in 16 M. margaritifera northwestern Spain populations by using ordinary least squares regression, major axis and reduced major axis methods. We estimated topographic slopes of the sampling points using a GIS system, as a proxy of water speed. We measured 803 shells and found that the volume of the shell can precisely be estimated using three linear measurements. We found evidence for negative allometry of shell volume in the global sample and in 11 populations. We hypothesized that water speed would affect allometric patterns of local populations. Results suggest a negative relationship between the allometric slope and the topographic slope of the river section inhabited by M. margaritifera. We propose that when water speed is higher, larger mussels become proportionally flatter than in locations where water current is slower, allowing them to burrow more easily in the sediment. Our method will allow estimation of M. margaritifera biomass and ontogenetic growth without killing any specimens, which will contribute to conservation programs for this species.