ฟันบานพับมีขนาดเล็กเห็นไม่ชัดUnionids are an important component of Michigan’s aquatic ecosystems. They play a significant ecological role in both rivers and lakes. Live individuals and empty shells provide habitat for aquatic insects. Empty shells also provide habitat for crayfish.
Unionid mussels often constitute the highest percentage of biomass relative to other benthic stream animals. They are, therefore, a key link in the food chain between aquatic microorganisms, such as algae and bacteria, and large animals like mink, otter, raccoons, turtles, and birds that eat unionids.
Unionid mussels are useful habitat and water quality indicators for several reasons. Most species are long-lived, and they are generally sessile, spending most of their lives within a small section of a stream. Because they are filter feeders, mussels are sensitive to – and tend to accumulate – contaminants. Also, empty shells can reveal which species
were present at a site in the past since they remain intact for many years after the mussels’ death.
Mussel species richness and fish species richness are related. Rivers with lots of fish species tend to have lots of mussel species and rivers with few fish species tend to have few mussel species. Because unionids are sensitive to changes in habitat quality, the status of unionids can be indicative of the biological integrity of river ecosystems as a whole.