2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference

March 13 - 15, 2022

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5/24/2021  |   8:30 AM - 10:30 AM   |  ASSEMBLAGE STRUCTURE OF NATIVE FRESHWATER MUSSELS IN A HIGHLY MODIFIED LARGE RIVER   |  Virtual Platform

ASSEMBLAGE STRUCTURE OF NATIVE FRESHWATER MUSSELS IN A HIGHLY MODIFIED LARGE RIVER

Despite a heightened global concern for native freshwater mussels, fundamental research on mussel ecology in large rivers is lacking. A common goal of resource managers in the upper Mississippi River (UMR) is to restore and sustain native mussel assemblages. We designed reach-wide systematic surveys to estimate the number of species, population size, abundance, and recruitment of mussels across six reaches (i.e., navigation pools) of the UMR. A total of 3460 mussels were obtained in 1842-0.25 m2 samples. Across all six reaches we documented 28 live species, with a given reach containing 16-23 species. Population estimates varied almost 10-fold across reaches, ranging from 61-592 million mussels. Mean reach density varied about 2-fold and ranged from 2.9-5.4 mussels/m2. Evidence of strong recruitment by juveniles was observed; the percent of the population comprised of juveniles ranged from 14-57% across the six reaches and 61-78% of the species were found as juveniles. Interestingly, about 60% of the individuals were found in about 10% of the aquatic area. Collectively, these data indicate that the UMR, despite being regulated and impounded, contains a dense, diverse, and reproducing assemblage of native freshwater mussels.

  • Conservation
  • Ecological dynamics
  • Management

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Presenters/Authors

Teresa Newton (), U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, tnewton@usgs.gov;


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Danielle Schultz (), University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, dschultz@uwlax.edu;


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Robert Francis (), U. S. Geological Survey, rfrancis@usgs.gov;


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