FRESHWATER MUSSELS (BIVALVIA: UNIONOIDA) AS A BIOLOGICAL AND WATER QUALITY INDICATOR: A REVIEWP. Premalatha, K. Saravanan and P. KaruppannanAbstract Urbanization is the important contribution to the environmental pollution especially freshwater habitat. Water pollution is a primary reason for the pollution of environment, ecosystem and human health. Molluscans are most important groups of invertebrates in an ecosystem with regard to biomass, diversity, spatial or tropic relationships. Freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionoida) are important component of ecosystems and used as a biological indicator for water pollution. This is due to the special characteristic features that makes as a good biological indicator. There are more sensitive to the toxins and heavy metals such as, copper, zinc, cadmium etc. the accumulation toxins and heavy metal in the shell and organs of freshwater mussels indicating the contaminant nature of the water bodies. |