Department of Zoology

 

Ecology and Conservation Science

David Aldridge

Affiliated Lecturer

Email: d.aldridge@zoo.cam.ac.uk

Tel.: +44 (0)1223 334436

My work focuses on applied freshwater ecology, with a particular emphasis on bivalve molluscs. My particular interests are the conservation of rare species and threatened ecosystems, the biology and control of invasive species, and the use of biological processes to develop sustainable remediation and monitoring programmes for polluted waterbodies. A considerable part of my work involves collaboration with the water industry, the Environment Agency and NGOs, and these collaborations provide a significant part of my research funding. The interdisciplinary nature of my work is reflected in my joint membership of the Zoology and Chemical Engineering Departments. While the end-points of my work often have important applications, my research is driven by an enthusiasm for addressing fundamental questions in pure biology and ecology.

I currently have two projects funded by the World Bank running in China. One project involves the development of sustainable bioremediation methods for some of China’s most polluted lakes, the other is documenting the endemic biodiversity of the plateau lakes in southwest China. I am director and co-founder of BioBullets Ltd., a company that has developed a novel and environmentally-friendly way of controlling some of the world’s biggest aquatic pests. I currently have projects running in Europe and N. America for the control of zebra mussels, Brazil for the control of golden mussels, and in Colombia for the control of mussel fouling in shrimp farms. I also have projects looking at the biology and control of biofouling in the UK water industry, and am developing improved river management strategies for UK rivers in collaboration with the Environment Agency.

Selected publications

  • McIvor, A.L. & Aldridge, D.C.(2007) The reproductive biology of the Depressed river mussel, Pseudanodonta complanata (Bivalvia: Unionidae), with implications for its conservation. Journal of Molluscan Studies 73: 259-266
  • Aldridge, D.C., Fayle, T. & Jackson, N. (2007). Freshwater mussel abundance predicts biodiversity in UK lowland rivers. AquaticConservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 17: 554-564
  • Aldridge, D.C., Moggridge, G.D. & Elliott, P. (2006). A microencapsulated ‘BioBullet’ for the control of biofouling zebra mussels. Environmental Science and Technology 40, 975-979.
  • Elliott, P., Aldridge, D.C. & Moggridge, G.D. & Chipps, M. (2005). The increasing effects of zebra mussels on water installations in England. Water and the Environment Journal 19: 367-375.
  • Killeen , I.J., Aldridge , D.C. & Oliver, P.G. (2004) Freshwater Bivalves of Britain and Ireland. FSC, AIDGAP Occasional Publication 82, 114 pp.
  • Aldridge, D.C., Elliott, P.E. & Moggridge, G.D. (2004) The recent and rapid spread of the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) in Great Britain. Biological Conservation 199, 253-261.
  • Aldridge, D.C. (2004a). Conservation of freshwater unionid mussels in Britain. Journal of Conchology,Special Publication No. 3, 81-90
  • Aldridge, D.C. (2004b). The Bitterling. In Freshwater Fishes in Britain: the Species and their Distribution (Eds. G. Davies, J. Shelley, J. Harding, I MacLean, R. Gardiner & G. Pierson). pp. 84-86 Harley Books, Colchester.
  • Aldridge, D.C. & McIvor, A.L. (2003) Gill evacuation and release of glochidia by Unio pictorum and Unio tumidus under thermal and hypoxic stress. Journal of Molluscan Studies 69, 55-59.
  • Aldridge, D.C. & Müller, S.J. (2001) The Asiatic clam, Corbicula fluminea, in Britain: current status and potential threats. Journal of Conchology 37, 177-184.
  • Aldridge, D.C. (2000) The impacts of dredging and weed cutting on a population of freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae). Biological Conservation 95, 247-257
  • Aldridge, D.C. (1999a) Development of European bitterling in the gills of freshwater mussels. Journal of Fish Biology 54, 138-151.
  • Aldridge, D.C. (1999b) The morphology, growth and reproduction of Unionidae (Bivalvia) in a fenland waterway. Journal of Molluscan Studies 65, 47-60.
  • Aldridge, D.C. & Horne, D.C. (1998) Fossil glochidia (Bivalvia, Unionidae): identification and value in palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. Journal of Micropalaeontology 17, 179-182.
  • Reynolds, J.D., Aldridge, D.C. & Debuse, V.J. (1997) Host specialisation in an unusual symbiosis: European bitterlings spawning in freshwater mussels. Oikos 78, 539-545.
Quick links
Graduate Training
Seminars
Research Group