2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference

March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH

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5/20/2019  |   10:00 AM - 10:15 AM   |  LONG-TERM POPULATION DYNAMICS OF DREISSENID MUSSELS IN THE HUDSON RIVER ESTUARY   |  251 DE

LONG-TERM POPULATION DYNAMICS OF DREISSENID MUSSELS IN THE HUDSON RIVER ESTUARY

A 27-year record of dreissenid (zebra and quagga mussel) populations in the freshwater tidal Hudson River shows dramatic (i.e., 5- to 10-fold) interannual variation in population density, individual body size, biomass, and population filtration rate. This variation is a result of both cyclic and long-term change. Persistent cycling appears to be a result of competitive dominance or cannibalism by strong year classes, which appeared every 2-5 years. The frequency of these strong year-classes has increased, presumably as a result of increased mortality in recent years. Long-term changes include (1) the appearance of the quagga mussel in 2008, which however still constitutes only 1-10% of all dreissenids, (2) increases in (predatory?) mortality rate of adult mussels, (3) decreases in body size, and (4) decreases in population filtration rates. In contrast, we could detect no long-term changes in dreissenid densities or habitat use (i.e., spread onto soft sediments). We found little evidence for environmental control of population dynamics, though mortality may be higher in hot summers. It appears that long-term dynamics of dreissenid populations in the Hudson are driven chiefly by negative density dependence and changes in mortality rates.

  • Invertebrate
  • Monitoring
  • Mussel

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Presenters/Authors

David Strayer (), Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, strayerd@caryinstitute.org;


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Stephen Hamilton (), Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, hamilton@caryinstitute.org;


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Heather Malcom (), Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, malcomh@caryinstitute.org;


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Christopher Solomon (), Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, solomonc@caryinstitute.org ;


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