Synthesizes the ecology and natural history of North American freshwater mussels for scientists, natural resource professionals, students and natural history enthusiasts.

Pearly mussels (Unionoidea) live in lakes, rivers, and streams around the world. These bivalves play important roles in freshwater ecosystems and were once both culturally and economically valuable as sources of food, pearls, and mother-of-pearl. Today, however, hundreds of species of these mussels are extinct or endangered. David L. Strayer provides a critical synthesis of the factors that control the distribution and abundance of pearly mussels. Using empirical analyses and models, he assesses the effects of dispersal, habitat quality, availability of fish hosts, adequate food, predators, and parasites. He also addresses conservation issues that apply to other inhabitants of fresh waters around the globe and other pressing issues in contemporary ecology.

All those who think that bivalves are boring are in the best company. Karl von Frisch is reported to have turned the pages more quickly in texts where bivalves were treated because, according to him, they literally lack any behaviour. The fact that they can filtrate huge amounts of water, burrow into the sedi ment, actively swim, drill holes into rocks and boats or detect shadows with the aid of pretty blue eyes located on the rim of their mantle obviously left v. Frisch unimpressed. Why, then, a book on the large freshwater mussels (Naiads or Unionoida), which on first sight are much less spectacular than the marine ones? The main reason is that they are keepers of secrets which they reveal only on close and careful inspection. This is not only true for the pearls some species produce and which over centuries have contributed to the treasures of bishops and kings, but particularly for their ecology: their life cycles are linked with those of fishes, some can occur in incredible densities and some can live for more than 100 years. Thus, the presence or absence of naiads in a lake or stream has manifold implications.

Need-to-know information on the classification and identificationof aquatic invertebrates This Fourth Edition of the standard reference used by generationsof professionals and students is the source for authoritativeinformation on the natural history, ecology, and taxonomy offree-living American freshwater invertebrates. Completely revisedand updated, this professional field guide features a wealth of newknowledge on invertebrate animal phyla covered in the previousedition as well as fully modified sections on the preparation ofmaterials. Other important features of Pennak's Freshwater Invertebrates ofthe United States, Fourth Edition include: * Current taxonomical arrangements of all freshwater invertebrateanimals, excluding insects * Improved graphical treatments and keys to identification, severalprovided by specialists * Photographs and color plates to aid identification * More than 300 line drawings, many new to this edition * Taxonomic keys carried uniformly to genus level in all but twophyla, with frequent references to species Pennak's Freshwater Invertebrates of the United States, FourthEdition is an indispensable resource for biologists, ecologists,graduate students, and anyone who needs to acquire the thoroughknowledge of aquatic invertebrates that is essential tounderstanding the community structure of freshwater environments.

Thorp and Covich's Freshwater Invertebrates: Keys to Nearctic Fauna, Fourth Edition presents a comprehensive revision and expansion of this trusted professional reference manual and educational textbook—from a single North American tome into a developing multivolume series covering inland water invertebrates of the world. Readers familiar with the first three editions will welcome this new volume. The series, now entitled Thorp and Covich's Freshwater Invertebrates, (edited by J.H. Thorp), began with Volume I: Ecology and General Biology, (edited by J.H. Thorp and D.C. Rogers). It now continues in Volume II with taxonomic coverage of inland water invertebrates of the Nearctic zoogeographic region. As in previous editions, all volumes of the fourth edition are designed for multiple uses and levels of expertise by professionals in universities, government agencies, and private companies, as well as by undergraduate and graduate students. - Features zoogeographic coverage for all of North America, south to the general area of the Tropic of Cancer, and Greenland and Bermuda - Provides keys to families of freshwater insects - Provides keys to all other inland water invertebrates at the taxonomic level appropriate for the current scientific knowledge - Includes multiple taxonomic keys in each chapter that progress from higher to lower taxonomic levels, thereby allowing users to work up to their level of need and expertise - Presents additional material in each chapter on group introduction, limitations to the keys, terminology and morphology, material preparation and preservation, and references