Modelling and mapping the distribution, diversity and abundance of freshwater mussels (Family Unionidae) in wadeable streams of Illinois, U.S.A.

Cao, Yong; Stodola, Alison P.; Douglass, Sarah A.; Shasteen, Diane K.; Cummings, Kevin S.; Holtrop, Ann Marie

doi:10.1111/fwb.12575

Cited by 33 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 82 publications

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“…Cao et al. () found that the presence or absence of mussels was influenced by the per cent of urban land use in the total catchment area above the sampling location. Daniel and Brown () also showed that the amount of agricultural lands in the corridor were negatively associated with mussel density and richness.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Freshwater mussels (Unionoida—hereafter “mussels”) can serve as a model system to study ecological baselines as reference conditions, in part because they are among the most threatened freshwater fauna in North America (Haag, ; Strayer et al., ). There are several suggested causes for these declines, including habitat loss and destruction (Williams, Warren, Cummings, Harris, & Neves, ), dams (Haag, ; Layzer, Gordon, & Anderson, ; Vaughn & Taylor, ), invasive species (Baker & Hornbach, ; Sousa, Novais, Costa, & Strayer, ) and land‐use change (Arbuckle & Downing, ; Atkinson, Julian, & Vaughn, ; Cao, Huang, & Cummings, ; Cao et al., ; Poole & Downing, ). However, few studies have determined specific causes of declines, and thus, long‐term impacts are often identified as responsible for decreases in population density and assemblage diversity (Downing, Van Meter, & Woolnough, ; Strayer et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2017

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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.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2017

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“…The modelling approach used here has rarely been used to model unionids in North America, where other modelling approaches have been favoured (but see Lois et al , for a similar approach in Europe). Typical methods for modelling mussel occurrences require localized, within‐stream habitat measurements integrated over a small stream segment (Allen & Vaughn, ; Atkinson et al , ; Campos et al , ; Gangloff & Feminella, ; Weber & Schwartz, ), which limits the spatial extent, or modelling the habitat suitability of entire catchments, which limits the resolution (Atkinson et al , ; Cao et al , ; Mynsberge et al , ; Weber & Schwartz, ). The method employed in this paper has a relatively high resolution and can encompass a very large spatial extent.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High‐resolution ecological niche modelling of threatened freshwater mussels in east Texas, USA

Walters

Ford

Chong

et al. 2017

Aquatic Conservation

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Unionid freshwater mussels are one of the most imperilled groups in North America. They play an important role in freshwater ecosystems, both as a food source and as filter feeders. Their priority conservation status has generated interest in unionid research. Here, data from the US Geological Survey was used to produce predictive models of mussel habitat affinities at a resolution of 100 m2 across an area of thousands of square kilometres. This approach correctly identifies areas that are more suitable for threatened mussel species beds as compared with less suitable areas (>97% of the time) Stream segments were identified that are forecast to have high suitability for threatened mussels. Potamilus amphichaenus differed from other threatened mussel species by being associated with a wider range of volumetric flow rates and by not being restricted by the clay content of the soils. Of the species examined, it was the most large‐river oriented in habitat use and distribution. These methods can help conservation planners and land‐use managers make rational decisions about where to focus their efforts in lotic habitats without the need for intensive environmental measurements while still providing high‐resolution information.

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“…Such information can be difficult to obtain at regional spatial scales. Alternatively, mussel assemblages have been modelled at the catchment or sub-catchment scale, which limits the degree of resolution (Atkinson et al, 2012;Cao et al, 2015;Mynsberge, Strager, Strager, & Mazik, 2009). This approach fails to provide information identifying local habitat on the landscape, which has been shown to be necessary for effective conservation decisions.…”

Section: Correlations Between Species Richness and Precipitation In Wmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do hotspots fall within protected areas? A Geographic Approach to Planning analysis of regional freshwater biodiversity

et al. 2019

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Identification of biodiversity hot spots is necessary for developing conservation strategies. The south‐eastern U.S.A. harbours high aquatic biodiversity; however, this diversity is threatened as a result of anthropogenic activities. We report patterns of fish and mussel biodiversity, locate hotspots of diversity and endemism, and identify gaps in protection of these hotspots. Maxent was used to generate species distribution models for native fish and mussel species in river basins throughout east Texas. Stacked species distribution models were used to assess spatial patterns of biodiversity and examine the concordance between fish and mussel hotspots. A Geographic Approach to Planning analysis was used to identify areas of high conservation concern. Predicted geographical variation in species richness of mussels corresponds to patterns shown in fish; however, there was discordance among endemicity hotspots between the two taxa. Because overall endemicity was low in both groups, species richness is likely to be the more informative measure of biodiversity at these regional scales. While hotspots represent a small percentage of the study area, almost all richness and endemicity hotspots (>95%) in east Texas occur outside of protected areas. The results of this study suggest that protected areas designated based on terrestrial habitat may fail to protect aquatic biodiversity. Studies such as this provide a baseline for development of conservation and management strategies for protection of regional freshwater biodiversity, while also suggesting that designating conservation lands should include consideration of both terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity.

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Modelling and mapping the distribution, diversity and abundance of freshwater mussels (Family Unionidae) in wadeable streams of Illinois, U.S.A.

Cited by 33 publications

References 82 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

High‐resolution ecological niche modelling of threatened freshwater mussels in east Texas, USA

Do hotspots fall within protected areas? A Geographic Approach to Planning analysis of regional freshwater biodiversity

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