Freshwater biodiversity loss is one of the greatest environmental threats in our changing world. ... more Freshwater biodiversity loss is one of the greatest environmental threats in our changing world. Although declines have been reported extensively in the literature, much less attention has been devoted to solving the freshwater biodiversity crisis relative to other ecosystems. The recently proposed Emergency Recovery Plan for Freshwater Biodiversity (Tickner et al., 2020, BioScience, 70(4), 330–342) outlines an ambitious but necessary set of overarching actions that can help “bend the curve” for freshwater biodiversity declines. This plan is timely given the present opportunity to adjust freshwater biodiversity targets in international biodiversity agreements and to encourage meeting targets of relevant Sustainable Development Goals. Yet, relying solely on a trickle down from such agreements to national and local scales will likely take too long, given the immediate urgency of the situation. Here, we advocate for a broader, concerted effort from all actors to ensure the Emergency Re...
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 2021
Little is known about the current state of freshwater biodiversity in Canada, one of the countrie... more Little is known about the current state of freshwater biodiversity in Canada, one of the countries with the greatest amount of surface waters in the world. To address this knowledge gap, we compiled a list of all available assessments of conservation status for freshwater species (over 3000 taxa) and further evaluated the overall status of six distinct taxonomic groups, focusing on organisms reliant on fresh waters (i.e., aquatic plants, invertebrates (with a focus on freshwater mussels), fishes, herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians), birds, and mammals). Overall, 11.7% of all freshwater species of plants and animals assessed were found to be “at risk” (i.e., listed as “Threatened”, “Endangered”, or “Extirpated”) and 17.9% identified as “Special Concern”. We found that 37.9% of species lacked sufficient data to enable their status to be assessed. Data gaps in Canada’s assessment of its freshwater species were most prevalent in invertebrates (excluding freshwater mussels). Given the...
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 2021
Captive breeding programs are widely applied by conservation practitioners as a means of conservi... more Captive breeding programs are widely applied by conservation practitioners as a means of conserving, reintroducing, and supplementing populations of imperilled freshwater fishes and mussels. We conducted a systematic map to provide an overview of the existing literature on the effectiveness of captive breeding and release programs. A key finding is that there is limited evaluation of the effectiveness of such programs at all three stages (i.e., broodstock collection, rearing/release methods, and post-release monitoring). We identified clusters of evidence for evaluating supplementation associated with rearing/release methods for fish growth and survival metrics, and the monitoring stage for fish genetic diversity, growth, and survival metrics, primarily focused on salmonids. However, many studies had inadequate experimental designs (i.e., lacked a comparator). Overall, there was a paucity of studies on the effectiveness of captive breeding programs for imperilled freshwater mussels,...
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 2020
Climate changes in the Arctic may weaken the currently tight pelagic-benthic coupling. In respons... more Climate changes in the Arctic may weaken the currently tight pelagic-benthic coupling. In response to decreasing sea ice cover, arctic marine systems are expected to shift from a ‘sea-ice algae–benthos' to a ‘phytoplankton-zooplankton’ dominance. We used mollusc shells as bioarchives and fatty acid trophic markers to estimate the effects of the reduction of sea ice cover on the food exported to the seafloor. Bathyal bivalve Astarte moerchi living at 600 m depth in northern Baffin Bay reveals a clear shift in growth variations and Ba/Ca ratios since the late 1970s, which we relate to a change in food availability. Tissue fatty acid compositions show that this species feeds mainly on microalgae exported from the euphotic zone to the seabed. We, therefore, suggest that changes in pelagic-benthic coupling are likely due either to local changes in sea ice dynamics, mediated through bottom-up regulation exerted by sea ice on phytoplankton production, or to a mismatch between phytoplan...
We monitored the recruitment of young-of-year zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771))... more We monitored the recruitment of young-of-year zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771)) each autumn at 13 locations within four river reaches along the length (100 km) of the Rideau River, starting in 1990, the year of its discovery in that river, until 2015. Sampling was conducted on bottom structures of locks or on seasonally exposed substrate during autumn drawdowns conducted by Rideau Canal staff. Twenty-six years of monitoring zebra mussels in that river revealed a distinct and persistent upstream–downstream pattern, with highest densities occurring in the two downstream reaches. A “lake effect” was observed at Long Reach, where veligers have ideal conditions for larval development. Highest densities occurred in the mid-1990s, comparable with those reported in the Laurentian Great Lakes during peak invasion (200 000 to 500 000+ mussels/m2). Although the most upstream reaches of the river had low recruitment rates and low densities initially (0.01 to 10 mussels/m2), an...
Dreissenid mussels (including the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha and the quagga mussel D. rost... more Dreissenid mussels (including the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha and the quagga mussel D. rostriformis) are among the world's most notorious invasive species, with large and widespread ecological and economic effects. However, their long‐term population dynamics are poorly known, even though these dynamics are critical to determining impacts and effective management. We gathered and analyzed 67 long‐term (>10 yr) data sets on dreissenid populations from lakes and rivers across Europe and North America. We addressed five questions: (1) How do Dreissena populations change through time? (2) Specifically, do Dreissena populations decline substantially after an initial outbreak phase? (3) Do different measures of population performance (biomass or density of settled animals, veliger density, recruitment of young) follow the same patterns through time? (4) How do the numbers or biomass of zebra mussels or of both species combined change after the quagga mussel arrives? (5) How d...
Organochlorine contaminant levels were compared between the native unionid Elliptio complanata an... more Organochlorine contaminant levels were compared between the native unionid Elliptio complanata and the exotic zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, at four sites along the Rideau River near Ottawa in 1995. Overall, the two taxa exhibited similar bioaccumulation patterns. PCB congeners, treated individually or as classes, showed strong positive and significant correlations between the two taxa. Additionally, the ratios DDD/ΣDDT, DDE/ΣDDT and DDT/ΣDDT were not significantly different between the two taxa. Mean concentrations of ΣPCB, ΣDDT, and Σchlordane were 65.8, 14.0, 1.2 and 227.9, 10.6, 1.8 ng/g soft tissue dry weight in E. complanata and D. polymorpha, respectively. These three organochlorine groupings accounted for 98.2 and 98.7% of the organochlorine soft tissue dry weight burden in E. complanata and D. polymorpha, respectively. However, while the bioaccumulation patterns were similar in E. complanata and D. polymorpha, the ΣPCB concentration was significantly higher in D. polym...
In Canada, the Squat Duskysnail, Lyogyrus granum, is an apparently rare freshwater hydrobiid. We ... more In Canada, the Squat Duskysnail, Lyogyrus granum, is an apparently rare freshwater hydrobiid. We document putative L. granum to be widespread throughout the Hampton Marsh, New Brunswick, with densities sometimes exceeding 150 snails/m2 on substrates ranging from vegetated organic detritus over mud, to sparsely-vegetated cobble/sand lakeshore. That our identification of L. granum from Hampton Marsh remains tentative, in spite of large samples, emphasizes the need for detailed taxonomic study of any putative L. granum populations in Canada. Such study will be necessary before the true conservation status can be determined for this and any related taxa, as yet unrecognized in Canadian material.
A partial skeleton of a bison was recovered during residential house construction in Whitehorse, ... more A partial skeleton of a bison was recovered during residential house construction in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. The specimen represents a young (estimated 6 year old) bison individual that died, was partially scavenged by carnivores, and subsequently buried by calcareous silt sediment in a pond or small lake during the middle Holocene, ∼5400 years ago. Palaeoenvironmental data, including molluscs, pollen, vascular plant, and bryophyte macrofossils demonstrate that the small waterbody was surrounded by white spruce dominated boreal forest. Morphometric analysis of the skeleton reveals that its taxonomic affinity is ambiguous, likely owing to it representing an ontogenetically young individual, though it does share some cranial and horn core characteristics of named species such as Bison occidentalis or Bison priscus. Mitochondrial genomic data confirm that this bison belongs to Clade 2A (northern clade), which represents Pleistocene steppe bison (B. cf. priscus) in Beringia through t...
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 1997
We developed molecular markers to distinguish two species of exotic bivalves, the zebra mussel (D... more We developed molecular markers to distinguish two species of exotic bivalves, the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) and the quagga mussel (Dreissena bugensis sensu lato). Restriction analysis of a 710 base pair fragment of the COI mitochondrial gene showed a single restriction pattern for zebra mussels and a single restriction pattern for quagga mussels for each of the enzymes ScrfI, Csp6I, and Sau96I. This molecular analysis also confirmed that there were no sex-specific restriction patterns for either species. We then used our molecular markers to confirm the species identity of postmetamorphic and early juvenile stages (>=>300 µm shell length) of zebra and quagga mussels from Lake Erie and the Rideau River (Ottawa, Ont.). Useful shell characteristics to discriminate between postmetamorphic and early juvenile stages (>=>300 µm shell length) of zebra and quagga mussel included (i) overlap of valves at the posterior region, (ii) position of the dorsal point of curvatur...
Freshwater biodiversity loss is one of the greatest environmental threats in our changing world. ... more Freshwater biodiversity loss is one of the greatest environmental threats in our changing world. Although declines have been reported extensively in the literature, much less attention has been devoted to solving the freshwater biodiversity crisis relative to other ecosystems. The recently proposed Emergency Recovery Plan for Freshwater Biodiversity (Tickner et al., 2020, BioScience, 70(4), 330–342) outlines an ambitious but necessary set of overarching actions that can help “bend the curve” for freshwater biodiversity declines. This plan is timely given the present opportunity to adjust freshwater biodiversity targets in international biodiversity agreements and to encourage meeting targets of relevant Sustainable Development Goals. Yet, relying solely on a trickle down from such agreements to national and local scales will likely take too long, given the immediate urgency of the situation. Here, we advocate for a broader, concerted effort from all actors to ensure the Emergency Re...
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 2021
Little is known about the current state of freshwater biodiversity in Canada, one of the countrie... more Little is known about the current state of freshwater biodiversity in Canada, one of the countries with the greatest amount of surface waters in the world. To address this knowledge gap, we compiled a list of all available assessments of conservation status for freshwater species (over 3000 taxa) and further evaluated the overall status of six distinct taxonomic groups, focusing on organisms reliant on fresh waters (i.e., aquatic plants, invertebrates (with a focus on freshwater mussels), fishes, herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians), birds, and mammals). Overall, 11.7% of all freshwater species of plants and animals assessed were found to be “at risk” (i.e., listed as “Threatened”, “Endangered”, or “Extirpated”) and 17.9% identified as “Special Concern”. We found that 37.9% of species lacked sufficient data to enable their status to be assessed. Data gaps in Canada’s assessment of its freshwater species were most prevalent in invertebrates (excluding freshwater mussels). Given the...
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 2021
Captive breeding programs are widely applied by conservation practitioners as a means of conservi... more Captive breeding programs are widely applied by conservation practitioners as a means of conserving, reintroducing, and supplementing populations of imperilled freshwater fishes and mussels. We conducted a systematic map to provide an overview of the existing literature on the effectiveness of captive breeding and release programs. A key finding is that there is limited evaluation of the effectiveness of such programs at all three stages (i.e., broodstock collection, rearing/release methods, and post-release monitoring). We identified clusters of evidence for evaluating supplementation associated with rearing/release methods for fish growth and survival metrics, and the monitoring stage for fish genetic diversity, growth, and survival metrics, primarily focused on salmonids. However, many studies had inadequate experimental designs (i.e., lacked a comparator). Overall, there was a paucity of studies on the effectiveness of captive breeding programs for imperilled freshwater mussels,...
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 2020
Climate changes in the Arctic may weaken the currently tight pelagic-benthic coupling. In respons... more Climate changes in the Arctic may weaken the currently tight pelagic-benthic coupling. In response to decreasing sea ice cover, arctic marine systems are expected to shift from a ‘sea-ice algae–benthos' to a ‘phytoplankton-zooplankton’ dominance. We used mollusc shells as bioarchives and fatty acid trophic markers to estimate the effects of the reduction of sea ice cover on the food exported to the seafloor. Bathyal bivalve Astarte moerchi living at 600 m depth in northern Baffin Bay reveals a clear shift in growth variations and Ba/Ca ratios since the late 1970s, which we relate to a change in food availability. Tissue fatty acid compositions show that this species feeds mainly on microalgae exported from the euphotic zone to the seabed. We, therefore, suggest that changes in pelagic-benthic coupling are likely due either to local changes in sea ice dynamics, mediated through bottom-up regulation exerted by sea ice on phytoplankton production, or to a mismatch between phytoplan...
We monitored the recruitment of young-of-year zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771))... more We monitored the recruitment of young-of-year zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771)) each autumn at 13 locations within four river reaches along the length (100 km) of the Rideau River, starting in 1990, the year of its discovery in that river, until 2015. Sampling was conducted on bottom structures of locks or on seasonally exposed substrate during autumn drawdowns conducted by Rideau Canal staff. Twenty-six years of monitoring zebra mussels in that river revealed a distinct and persistent upstream–downstream pattern, with highest densities occurring in the two downstream reaches. A “lake effect” was observed at Long Reach, where veligers have ideal conditions for larval development. Highest densities occurred in the mid-1990s, comparable with those reported in the Laurentian Great Lakes during peak invasion (200 000 to 500 000+ mussels/m2). Although the most upstream reaches of the river had low recruitment rates and low densities initially (0.01 to 10 mussels/m2), an...
Dreissenid mussels (including the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha and the quagga mussel D. rost... more Dreissenid mussels (including the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha and the quagga mussel D. rostriformis) are among the world's most notorious invasive species, with large and widespread ecological and economic effects. However, their long‐term population dynamics are poorly known, even though these dynamics are critical to determining impacts and effective management. We gathered and analyzed 67 long‐term (>10 yr) data sets on dreissenid populations from lakes and rivers across Europe and North America. We addressed five questions: (1) How do Dreissena populations change through time? (2) Specifically, do Dreissena populations decline substantially after an initial outbreak phase? (3) Do different measures of population performance (biomass or density of settled animals, veliger density, recruitment of young) follow the same patterns through time? (4) How do the numbers or biomass of zebra mussels or of both species combined change after the quagga mussel arrives? (5) How d...
Organochlorine contaminant levels were compared between the native unionid Elliptio complanata an... more Organochlorine contaminant levels were compared between the native unionid Elliptio complanata and the exotic zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, at four sites along the Rideau River near Ottawa in 1995. Overall, the two taxa exhibited similar bioaccumulation patterns. PCB congeners, treated individually or as classes, showed strong positive and significant correlations between the two taxa. Additionally, the ratios DDD/ΣDDT, DDE/ΣDDT and DDT/ΣDDT were not significantly different between the two taxa. Mean concentrations of ΣPCB, ΣDDT, and Σchlordane were 65.8, 14.0, 1.2 and 227.9, 10.6, 1.8 ng/g soft tissue dry weight in E. complanata and D. polymorpha, respectively. These three organochlorine groupings accounted for 98.2 and 98.7% of the organochlorine soft tissue dry weight burden in E. complanata and D. polymorpha, respectively. However, while the bioaccumulation patterns were similar in E. complanata and D. polymorpha, the ΣPCB concentration was significantly higher in D. polym...
In Canada, the Squat Duskysnail, Lyogyrus granum, is an apparently rare freshwater hydrobiid. We ... more In Canada, the Squat Duskysnail, Lyogyrus granum, is an apparently rare freshwater hydrobiid. We document putative L. granum to be widespread throughout the Hampton Marsh, New Brunswick, with densities sometimes exceeding 150 snails/m2 on substrates ranging from vegetated organic detritus over mud, to sparsely-vegetated cobble/sand lakeshore. That our identification of L. granum from Hampton Marsh remains tentative, in spite of large samples, emphasizes the need for detailed taxonomic study of any putative L. granum populations in Canada. Such study will be necessary before the true conservation status can be determined for this and any related taxa, as yet unrecognized in Canadian material.
A partial skeleton of a bison was recovered during residential house construction in Whitehorse, ... more A partial skeleton of a bison was recovered during residential house construction in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. The specimen represents a young (estimated 6 year old) bison individual that died, was partially scavenged by carnivores, and subsequently buried by calcareous silt sediment in a pond or small lake during the middle Holocene, ∼5400 years ago. Palaeoenvironmental data, including molluscs, pollen, vascular plant, and bryophyte macrofossils demonstrate that the small waterbody was surrounded by white spruce dominated boreal forest. Morphometric analysis of the skeleton reveals that its taxonomic affinity is ambiguous, likely owing to it representing an ontogenetically young individual, though it does share some cranial and horn core characteristics of named species such as Bison occidentalis or Bison priscus. Mitochondrial genomic data confirm that this bison belongs to Clade 2A (northern clade), which represents Pleistocene steppe bison (B. cf. priscus) in Beringia through t...
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 1997
We developed molecular markers to distinguish two species of exotic bivalves, the zebra mussel (D... more We developed molecular markers to distinguish two species of exotic bivalves, the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) and the quagga mussel (Dreissena bugensis sensu lato). Restriction analysis of a 710 base pair fragment of the COI mitochondrial gene showed a single restriction pattern for zebra mussels and a single restriction pattern for quagga mussels for each of the enzymes ScrfI, Csp6I, and Sau96I. This molecular analysis also confirmed that there were no sex-specific restriction patterns for either species. We then used our molecular markers to confirm the species identity of postmetamorphic and early juvenile stages (>=>300 µm shell length) of zebra and quagga mussels from Lake Erie and the Rideau River (Ottawa, Ont.). Useful shell characteristics to discriminate between postmetamorphic and early juvenile stages (>=>300 µm shell length) of zebra and quagga mussel included (i) overlap of valves at the posterior region, (ii) position of the dorsal point of curvatur...
Uploads
Papers by André Martel