Special seminar - Glochidiosis: the effects of parasitic freshwater mussels on their host fish

Special seminar - Glochidiosis: the effects of parasitic freshwater mussels on their host fish

Sebastian L. Rock, Karlstad University, Sweden

Freshwater bivalves in the order Unionida are a highly endangered order of ecosystem engineers. Unionids differ from other mussel orders through a parasitic life stage. Known as a glochidium, larval mussels affix themselves onto the gills and fins of host fish for a period of metamorphosis before excysting and developing into adults in the sediment. While the ecosystem functions of this order are well-understood, their effects of the parasitic larvae on their hosts is less investigated. I explore the parasitic interactions of two of Europe’s most endangered mussels with some of their respective host fishes.

Sebastian is a PhD Candidate at Karlstad University, Sweden