Genomics to Aid Conservation and restoration of the Yellow Lampmussel (Lampsilis cariosa) and Tidewater Mucket (Atlanticoncha ochracea)
Due to the rapid decline in abundance of Yellow Lampmussel (Lampsilis cariosa) and Tidewater Mucket (Atlanticoncha ochracea), USGS and partners at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Central Michigan University (CMU) are conducting an assessment of genetic diversity and population structure to inform appropriate recommendations for conservation and management of each species. These results will provide information on the levels of genetic connectivity among populations across each of their respective ranges as well as how they are related to similar mussel species.
What is the issue?
The Yellow Lampmussel and Tidewater Mucket are freshwater mussels, also referred to as unionids, native to rivers along the east coast of North America. Populations of both mussels show evidence of decline and are listed as vulnerable and near threatened, respectively, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. Factors such as runoff pollution, sedimentation, and dam construction continue to threaten their recovery. Both the Yellow Lampmussel and Tidewater Mucket can be found in eastern North America along Atlantic Slope drainages, ranging from Nova Scotia to Georgia. Yellow Lampmussel habitats extend further inland up rivers and can even be found in ponds or lakes, while the Tidewater Mucket resides mostly in tidal reaches of lower rivers.
What is at stake?
Freshwater mussels are an essential part of riverine ecosystems. They are filter feeders involved in nutrient recycling, water purification, and serve as indicator species of the water quality of nearby habitats. Genetic diversity is the range of genetic variation within a species or population and provides the ability to adapt for survival in a changing environment. The genetic diversity of Yellow Lampmussel and Tidewater Mucket is not well known but is important to study as low levels of gene flow and genetic diversity can lead to increased vulnerability or extinction of a population. Additionally, genetic diversity and relatedness among populations can be used to inform management decisions regarding relocations and propagation efforts.
What is our approach?
The USFWS Northeast Region identified the Yellow Lampmussel as a focal species for their At-Risk Species Initiative, which is aimed at preventing the listing of target species that are in decline. The USFWS also recognizes that work to conserve these at-risk species will benefit other species living within the same watersheds, such as the Tidewater Mucket.
Characterizing genetic variation will give natural resource managers insight into which populations of Yellow Lampmussel and Tidewater Mucket are the most genetically isolated and inbred, and thus more in danger of extinction. Considering genetic diversity in combination with population structure, managers can make decisions about which populations can be translocated or combined in hatchery rearing efforts to increase population sizes.
USGS scientists will produce genomic sequences of Yellow Lampmussel and Tidewater Mucket from throughout their range and use them to generate phylogenetic trees that depict the evolutionary history among various closely related species. We will also use genomic sequences to develop quantitative PCR (qPCR) markers which can detect a specific target species from the environmental DNA they shed into water, aiding with surveys to identify areas where the mussels may occur. These studies will advance understanding of the species’ current range as well as inform efforts to reduce stress to mussels that may occur through handling during traditional genetic mussel sampling.
What are the benefits?
This research will allow us to gain knowledge on the relatedness of the Yellow Lampmussel and Tidewater Mucket from population to population across each of their ranges as well as their relatedness to other unionid species. Unionid densities and diversity have declined, leading to recovery actions such as hatchery propagation of individuals and releasing juvenile mussels into the rivers to supplement existing populations and restore their critically important ecological services such as filter feeding. By increasing understanding of current range-wide genetic diversity and population structuring of the Yellow Lampmussel and Tidewater Mucket, USGS research will aid managers in determining which populations can be prioritized for conservation and restoration actions helping to stabilize these species and restore the natural ecosystem services they provide.
Due to the rapid decline in abundance of Yellow Lampmussel (Lampsilis cariosa) and Tidewater Mucket (Atlanticoncha ochracea), USGS and partners at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Central Michigan University (CMU) are conducting an assessment of genetic diversity and population structure to inform appropriate recommendations for conservation and management of each species. These results will provide information on the levels of genetic connectivity among populations across each of their respective ranges as well as how they are related to similar mussel species.
What is the issue?
The Yellow Lampmussel and Tidewater Mucket are freshwater mussels, also referred to as unionids, native to rivers along the east coast of North America. Populations of both mussels show evidence of decline and are listed as vulnerable and near threatened, respectively, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. Factors such as runoff pollution, sedimentation, and dam construction continue to threaten their recovery. Both the Yellow Lampmussel and Tidewater Mucket can be found in eastern North America along Atlantic Slope drainages, ranging from Nova Scotia to Georgia. Yellow Lampmussel habitats extend further inland up rivers and can even be found in ponds or lakes, while the Tidewater Mucket resides mostly in tidal reaches of lower rivers.
What is at stake?
Freshwater mussels are an essential part of riverine ecosystems. They are filter feeders involved in nutrient recycling, water purification, and serve as indicator species of the water quality of nearby habitats. Genetic diversity is the range of genetic variation within a species or population and provides the ability to adapt for survival in a changing environment. The genetic diversity of Yellow Lampmussel and Tidewater Mucket is not well known but is important to study as low levels of gene flow and genetic diversity can lead to increased vulnerability or extinction of a population. Additionally, genetic diversity and relatedness among populations can be used to inform management decisions regarding relocations and propagation efforts.
What is our approach?
The USFWS Northeast Region identified the Yellow Lampmussel as a focal species for their At-Risk Species Initiative, which is aimed at preventing the listing of target species that are in decline. The USFWS also recognizes that work to conserve these at-risk species will benefit other species living within the same watersheds, such as the Tidewater Mucket.
Characterizing genetic variation will give natural resource managers insight into which populations of Yellow Lampmussel and Tidewater Mucket are the most genetically isolated and inbred, and thus more in danger of extinction. Considering genetic diversity in combination with population structure, managers can make decisions about which populations can be translocated or combined in hatchery rearing efforts to increase population sizes.
USGS scientists will produce genomic sequences of Yellow Lampmussel and Tidewater Mucket from throughout their range and use them to generate phylogenetic trees that depict the evolutionary history among various closely related species. We will also use genomic sequences to develop quantitative PCR (qPCR) markers which can detect a specific target species from the environmental DNA they shed into water, aiding with surveys to identify areas where the mussels may occur. These studies will advance understanding of the species’ current range as well as inform efforts to reduce stress to mussels that may occur through handling during traditional genetic mussel sampling.
What are the benefits?
This research will allow us to gain knowledge on the relatedness of the Yellow Lampmussel and Tidewater Mucket from population to population across each of their ranges as well as their relatedness to other unionid species. Unionid densities and diversity have declined, leading to recovery actions such as hatchery propagation of individuals and releasing juvenile mussels into the rivers to supplement existing populations and restore their critically important ecological services such as filter feeding. By increasing understanding of current range-wide genetic diversity and population structuring of the Yellow Lampmussel and Tidewater Mucket, USGS research will aid managers in determining which populations can be prioritized for conservation and restoration actions helping to stabilize these species and restore the natural ecosystem services they provide.