Habitats of Molluscs: Freshwater Habitats

A. E. Boycott in "The Habitats of Fresh-water Mollusca in Britain" (Journal of Animal Ecology, Vol. 5 May 1936) concluded that

"The more important features of favourable habitats are
      (1) cleanliness of water,
      (2) absence of disturbance, and
      (3) presence of lime:
other factors such as rate of flow, volume of locus, vegetation, etc., are of moment because of their influence on the first two. Bivalves, operculates and pulmonates can each be divided into a group which can live in soft as well as hard water and one which ordinarily needs a fair amount of lime: also into those which can tolerate stagnant water (which includes no pulmonates) and those which need clean and usually running water. With a few exceptions, the needs of the species are so similar that habitats can be classed as good or bad for Mollusca as a whole: the richest places are calcareous rivers, lakes and canals, the poorest rapid streams, mean ponds and mountain lakes."

By clicking on any image below you can get a list of the species of molluscs usually associated with that particular type of freshwater habitat.

Upland lake

Lowland river

Marsh drain

Lowland lake

Canal

Pond