Trait-based and multi-scale approach provides insight on responses of freshwater mussels to environmental heterogeneity

Our understanding of the factors driving the distribution of metacommunities at different scales can be obscured by high variation in species composition between sites and a lack of fine-scale distribution data. Trait-based approaches have long been used to better identify and examine ecological patterns. Most recent studies of riverine metacommunities examining trait-based patterns have focused on shorter-lived organisms. Here we focused on a group of longer-lived, sedentary riverine organisms, unionid freshwater mussels. The objective of this study was to examine how (1) the distribution of mussels with different life history strategies (trait-based approach) and (2) the relative importance of environmental and spatial factors (as a proxy for dispersal) would differ with spatial scale and position in the river; and to (3) further compare this with patterns derived from a taxonomic approach. Fine-scale distribution data of mussels and environmental factors were collected every 100 m in..., ,