Coupling freshwater mussel ecology and river dynamics using a simplified dynamic interaction model

Hansen, Amy T.; Czuba, Jonathan A.; Schwenk, Jon; Longjas, Anthony; Danesh‐Yazdi, Mohammad; Hornbach, Daniel J.; Foufoula‐Georgiou, Efi

doi:10.1086/684223

Cited by 26 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 76 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Hansen et al. () found that mussels provide important feedback on the chemical and physical environment and that there is a relationship between mussel density and the strength of this feedback.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐term decline of native freshwater mussel assemblages in a federally protected river

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Freshwater systems are increasingly threatened by human impacts. To effectively monitor and manage these systems, reference or baseline conditions need to be documented to establish restoration or management goals. Freshwater mussel (Unionoida) communities are in decline in many river systems worldwide. Yet there are few long‐term quantitative studies in relatively “pristine” habitats that could serve as “reference” locations. Here, we present the results of a 20‐year quantitative monitoring study of mussel assemblages in a federally protected river in the United States. We found significant declines in mussel abundance (41%) and species richness (16%) over the 20‐year period, while mussel species evenness and Shannon's diversity index values increased over time (19.3% and 12.1%, respectively). This, combined with an analysis of community composition change trajectories, suggests the declines were disproportionately higher for common species than for rare species. Variation in life‐history traits of macroinvertebrates is often used to assess the degree of degradation of aquatic systems. Using Haag's (2012) classification of mussel life‐history traits, we found the proportion of opportunistic species (fast growth, high reproductive output, short lifespan) decreased by 65.3%, while the proportion of equilibrium species (slow growth, long lifespan, lower investment in reproduction) increased by 54.6% and the proportion of periodic species (moderate‐to‐high growth rates, low‐to‐intermediate fecundity, lifespan and age at maturity) increased by 82.4%. There were modest changes in human population and land use in the catchment during our study period, and a change in the operation of a hydroelectric dam reduced discharge variability. Sediment size changed at several study sites, increasing at some sites while decreasing at others. This study occurred in one of the best‐protected and most pristine rivers in the upper Midwest of the United States, harbouring one of the region's most intact mussel fauna that could be used as a “reference” to set goals for the restoration of mussel fauna in other river systems. Despite the high quality and protection of this river system, we found slow declines in the mussel community but found no evidence that changes in land use, flow regime, water quality, the spread of invasive species or increased sedimentation were responsible for these declines. The slow decline of mussels and lack of specific causes in such a river underscore the imperilment of this fauna, and the need for more aggressive conservation, management and research approaches.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐term decline of native freshwater mussel assemblages in a federally protected river

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As part of an NSF‐funded Water Sustainability and Climate interdisciplinary project focused in the predominantly agricultural MRB (a 44,000 km 2 basin included in the Gupta et al's study area), we have begun a comprehensive effort aimed at quantifying the hydrologic changes and the cascade of these changes from hydrology to sediment production and transport, to nutrient and phosphorous cycling, to river ecology [e.g., Foufoula‐Georgiou et al ., ; Schaffrath et al ., ; Hansen et al ., ]. In terms of hydrologic change, our analysis of daily streamflow has clearly demonstrated the effects of LULC on the daily hydrologic response.…”

mentioning

confidence: 80%

Comment on “Climate and agricultural land use change impacts on streamflow in the upper midwestern United States” by Satish C. Gupta et al.

Foufoula‐Georgiou

Belmont

Wilcock

et al. 2016

Water Resources Research

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This comment cautions against dismissing agricultural practices as a significant cause of hydrologic change in Midwestern agricultural landscapes.In a recent paper, Gupta et al. [2015] considered the important issue of quantifying the relative contributions of climate and land use/land cover (LULC) change on the observed hydrologic changes in Midwestern agricultural landscapes. They reached the conclusion that ''higher streamflows for most watersheds in the Upper Midwest are mainly due to increased precipitation'' (p. 5315), implying that LULC changes exerted minimal effect on the hydrologic response of agricultural landscapes.

show abstract

“…Human impacts are largely to blame for the massive decline in freshwater mussel populations, and have imposed pressures upon catchments both globally and locally, i.e. within the geographical distribution of L. bracteata (Bogan, ; Hansen et al, ; Howells, ; Lydeard et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive ecology of the threatened and endemic freshwater mussel Lampsilis bracteata

Seagroves

Barnhart

Hardy

et al. 2019

Aquatic Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Texas fatmucket, Lampsilis bracteata, is a unionid mussel endemic to the Colorado and upper Guadalupe River basins of Central Texas and a candidate for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act. There is increased interest in propagation and population restoration of threatened mussels in Texas as a potential conservation method, but still little is known about their life histories and how local populations may differ in aspects of their reproductive ecology, e.g. timing of brooding and potential local adaptations to host fish. The purpose of this study was to compare host fish compatibilities and seasonality of reproduction between two populations: (a) by cross‐infesting fish from the San Saba and Llano Rivers in the Colorado River basin with sympatric and allopatric mussel larvae in the laboratory (hatchery‐produced Guadalupe bass and largemouth bass were also infested); and (b) by assessing gamete concentration, brooding period, viability of larvae and sex ratios using monthly sampling events between February 2017 and February 2018. Reproduction varied with season and between populations. The proportion of females brooding tended to be lower in the summer and the autumn, and higher during winter and spring months before peak water temperatures were reached. The sex ratio in both populations did not significantly differ from 1:1. Fecundity and larvae viability were higher in the Llano River population compared with the San Saba population. Trematode flatworms were found in several female gonad samples from the San Saba population and in a few samples from the Llano population. The highest metamorphosis success occurred on wild green sunfish and largemouth bass, and hatchery‐produced largemouth and Guadalupe bass. The average metamorphosis success tended to be higher for some mussel–fish pairings originating from the same tributary, suggesting that mussels may be locally adapted to host fish, which should be considered in conservation efforts.

show abstract

Coupling freshwater mussel ecology and river dynamics using a simplified dynamic interaction model

Cited by 26 publications

References 76 publications

Long‐term decline of native freshwater mussel assemblages in a federally protected river

Long‐term decline of native freshwater mussel assemblages in a federally protected river

Comment on “Climate and agricultural land use change impacts on streamflow in the upper midwestern United States” by Satish C. Gupta et al.

Reproductive ecology of the threatened and endemic freshwater mussel Lampsilis bracteata

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About