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Possibilities for bioindication of the surface water status using freshwater bivalves’ shells with focus on the morphological variability of Unio crassus
Zuzáková, Hana ; Douda, Karel (advisor) ; Matasová, Klára (referee)
Possibilities for bioindication of the surface water status using freshwater bivalves shells with focus on the morphological variability of Unio crassus
Summary
This bachelor thesis present a review of scientific literature dealing with the possibilities for bioindication by freshwater mussels of the family Unionidea. In it practical part, it is about the variability of freshwater mussel Unio crassus, whose shells were collected from 10 streams in Poland, Bulgaria and Romania. Specifically, shells from 357 U. crassus individuals were measured by classical morphometric method. This analysis confirmed findings from literature where are mentioned most common size of shells (40- 70 mm of length). Using residual values of the relationship between shell length and width and between shell length and the thickness the shell shapes were compared between individuals and the watersheds with the use of basic statistical methods, scatterplots and boxplots.
The result is a significant value for different flows, their differences are only in the few millimeter variance. For a substantial variation in shapes were made GIS analysis for each river. To describe the catchment area were delineated buffers in the size of square root lengths of streams, in which was to determine land-use and their percentage and surface representation. Land-use categories were characterized by Corine Land Cover classes. Identified categories in studied areas include total afforestation total artificially built-up areas, agricultural and water areas.
The resulting statistics of land use were compared and evaluated in relation to the shape characteristics of U. crassus and enabled the determination of species plasticity and variability which is capable, despite their demands and the need for high quality waters, live in diverse environmental conditions. Despite the limited set of population tested, study documents that typical environmental conditions for U. crassus are unpolluted areas with a high percentage of afforestation, the average representation of agricultural land, and the lowest representation of any built-up areas and industrial application in the nearby stream.
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