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Book Review

Nature 406, 126 (13 July 2000) | doi:10.1038/35018150

Shelling out the facts

David L. Strayer1

Molluscs have traditionally taken a back seat to insects and crustaceans in freshwater ecology, and rarely feature prominently in courses or textbooks on the subject. Yet recent work shows that suspension-feeding bivalves and grazing snails can control the abundance and composition of primary producers such as phytoplankton, and thus have far-reaching impacts on freshwater ecosystems.