Curley, E. A.M. , Valyrakis, M. , Thomas, R. , Adams, C.E. and Stephen, A. (2021) Smart sensors to predict entrainment of freshwater mussels: a new tool in freshwater habitat assessment. Science of the Total Environment, 787, 147586. (doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147586)
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Abstract
1. The quantification and assessment of dynamic hydrogeomorphological processes is crucial in defining suitable habitat for aquatic benthic species. Yet a consistent approach to accurately record and monitor near-bed flow characteristics, remains largely undefined in freshwater ecology. 2. The purpose of this work was to provide a direct, non-intrusive, low-cost and accessible tool to evaluate near-bed incipient flow conditions and predict when flow forcing results in the entrainment of individuals. 3. This study designed, for the first time, an instrumented freshwater mussel, encompassing inertial microelectromechanical sensors (MEMS), housed within Margaritifera margaritifera shells. 4. Following initial calibration of the embedded sensors to ensure accurate detection of three-dimensional displacement, dedicated flume experiments were undertaken to assess instrumented shell movement metrics, for a range of flow conditions and shell orientations. 5. Analysis found that data from the sensors' readings could successfully detect, and potentially predict, entrainment events through the examination of variability in recordings of total acceleration, with entrainment risk shown to vary across flowrate, shell orientation and size. 6. Instrumented shells could provide a valuable tool for assisting conservation management of freshwater mussel species: aiding the identification and monitoring of suitable habitat in reintroduction and restoration schemes. Instrumented shells could also assist habitat suitability surveys for a range of freshwater species, intimately linked to the physical environment of freshwater ecosystems. 7. Evidence from this study suggests further research into this tool may yield methods for accurately predicting more complex flow metrics associated with hydraulic stress. It is therefore clear that the potential of this tool is still to be fully investigated.
Item Type: | Articles |
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Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | Thomas, Dr Rhian and Valyrakis, Dr Manousos and Curley, Dr Edward and Adams, Professor Colin |
Creator Roles: | Curley, E.A.M.Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing – original draft, Visualization Valyrakis, M.Conceptualization, Validation, Methodology, Resources, Writing – review and editing Thomas, R.Conceptualization, Writing – review and editing, Supervision, Project administration, Funding acquisition Adams, C.E.Conceptualization, Supervision |
Authors: | Curley, E. A.M., Valyrakis, M., Thomas, R., Adams, C.E., and Stephen, A. |
College/School: | College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine College of Science and Engineering College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Infrastructure and Environment College of Science and Engineering > School of Geographical and Earth Sciences College of Social Sciences > School of Social & Environmental Sustainability |
Journal Name: | Science of the Total Environment |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
ISSN: | 0048-9697 |
ISSN (Online): | 1879-1026 |
Published Online: | 13 May 2021 |
Copyright Holders: | Copyright © 2021 The Authors |
First Published: | First published in Science of the Total Environment 787: 147586 |
Publisher Policy: | Reproduced under a Creative Commons License |
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