Location
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN (virtual)
Date
9-4-2021 12:00 AM
Poster Abstract
Declines and extinctions in freshwater mussel populations have resulted in 16 species extirpated and 10 species listed as federally threatened or endangered in Indiana. Research priorities for freshwater mussels often have limited efforts towards monitoring health. As part of a larger project to develop comprehensive health monitoring protocols for freshwater bivalves in Indiana, our objectives were to develop and test a health monitoring protocol using stable isotope analysis to evaluate changes in resource use and detect changes in water quality and stream nutrients. We collected body tissue samples from 2 native mussel species and the Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) from 3 sites in Indiana and analyzed them for carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotopes. Our results indicated a significant difference in δ13C and δ15N between and within sampling sites. We also identified overlap in signatures between species and within sites indicating interspecific competition between native mussels and the highly invasive Asian clam. By collecting and analyzing samples regularly, stable isotope analysis will allow managers to monitor for changes in mussel health and environmental conditions. Combined with measurements of other health parameters, these protocols can provide a comprehensive program for understanding challenges to mussel populations while informing management and conservation efforts.
Stable Isotope Analysis Can Monitor the General Health of Mussel Populations
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN (virtual)
Declines and extinctions in freshwater mussel populations have resulted in 16 species extirpated and 10 species listed as federally threatened or endangered in Indiana. Research priorities for freshwater mussels often have limited efforts towards monitoring health. As part of a larger project to develop comprehensive health monitoring protocols for freshwater bivalves in Indiana, our objectives were to develop and test a health monitoring protocol using stable isotope analysis to evaluate changes in resource use and detect changes in water quality and stream nutrients. We collected body tissue samples from 2 native mussel species and the Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) from 3 sites in Indiana and analyzed them for carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotopes. Our results indicated a significant difference in δ13C and δ15N between and within sampling sites. We also identified overlap in signatures between species and within sites indicating interspecific competition between native mussels and the highly invasive Asian clam. By collecting and analyzing samples regularly, stable isotope analysis will allow managers to monitor for changes in mussel health and environmental conditions. Combined with measurements of other health parameters, these protocols can provide a comprehensive program for understanding challenges to mussel populations while informing management and conservation efforts.
Comments
2021 FNR Poster Competition, Undergraduate Research - 1st Place