School of Geography, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Jalan Broga, 43500 Semenyih, Malaysia.
CIIMAR/CIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal.
Sci Total Environ. 2016 Nov 15;571:1069-78. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.07.098. Epub 2016 Jul 26.
Freshwater mussels (Bivalvia, Unionida) fulfil important ecosystem functions and are one of the most threatened freshwater taxa globally. Knowledge of freshwater mussel diversity, distribution and ecology in Peninsular Malaysia is extremely poor, and the conservation status of half of the species presumed to occur in the region has yet to be assessed. We conducted the first comprehensive assessment of Peninsular Malaysia's freshwater mussels based on species presence/absence and environmental data collected from 155 sites spanning all major river catchments and diverse habitat types. Through an integrative morphological-molecular approach we recognised nine native and one widespread non-native species, i.e. Sinanodonta woodiana. Two species, i.e. Pilsbryoconcha compressa and Pseudodon cambodjensis, had not been previously recorded from Malaysia, which is likely a result of morphological misidentifications of historical records. Due to their restriction to single river catchments and declining distributions, Hyriopsis bialata, possibly endemic to Peninsular Malaysia, Ensidens ingallsianus, possibly already extinct in the peninsula, and Rectidens sumatrensis, particularly require conservation attention. Equally, the Pahang, the Perak and the north-western river catchments are of particular conservation value due to the presence of a globally unique freshwater mussel fauna. Statistical relationships of 15 water quality parameters and mussel presence/absence identified acidification and nutrient pollution (eutrophication) as the most important anthropogenic factors threatening freshwater mussel diversity in Peninsular Malaysia. These factors can be linked to atmospheric pollution, deforestation, oil-palm plantations and a lack of functioning waste water treatment, and could be mitigated by establishing riparian buffers and improving waste water treatment for rivers running through agricultural and residential land.
淡水贻贝（双壳纲，贻贝目）具有重要的生态功能，是全球受威胁最严重的淡水生物类群之一。马来半岛淡水贻贝的多样性、分布和生态知识极为匮乏，而且该地区有一半被认为存在的物种的保护状况尚未得到评估。我们根据从跨越所有主要河流流域和各种生境类型的 155 个地点收集的物种存在/缺失和环境数据，首次对马来半岛的淡水贻贝进行了全面评估。通过综合形态学-分子方法，我们识别出 9 种本地物种和 1 种广泛分布的外来物种，即 Sinanodonta woodiana。其中，Pilsbryoconcha compressa 和 Pseudodon cambodjensis 这两个物种以前从未在马来西亚有过记录，这很可能是由于历史记录中对形态的错误识别。由于其局限于单一的河流流域和分布范围的下降，Hyriopsis bialata 可能是马来半岛特有的，Ensidens ingallsianus 可能已经在半岛上灭绝，而 Rectidens sumatrensis 特别需要保护关注。同样，由于存在独特的全球淡水贻贝动物群，彭亨、霹雳和西北部河流流域具有特别的保护价值。15 个水质参数与贻贝存在/缺失的统计关系确定酸化和营养污染（富营养化）是威胁马来半岛淡水贻贝多样性的最重要人为因素。这些因素可以与大气污染、森林砍伐、油棕种植园以及缺乏功能齐全的废水处理相关联，可以通过建立河岸缓冲区和改善流经农业和居民区的河流的废水处理来缓解这些问题。
