Targeted metabolomics characterizes metabolite occurrence and variability in stable freshwater mussel populations.

ABSTRACT: Freshwater mussels (order Unionida) play a key role in freshwater systems as ecosystem engineers and indicators of aquatic ecosystem health. The fauna is globally imperilled due to a diversity of suspected factors; however, causes for many population declines and mortality events remain unconfirmed due partly to limited health assessment tools. Mussel-monitoring activities often rely on population-level measurements, such as abundance and age structure, which reflect delayed responses to environmental conditions. Measures of organismal health would enable preemptive detection of declining condition before population-level effects manifest. Metabolomic analysis can identify shifts in biochemical pathways in response to stressors and changing environmental conditions; however, interpretation

SUBMITTER: Waller D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10494281 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature