Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
Aquatic Ecosystem Health
The role of the Aquatic Ecosystem Health program is to conduct research to protect, mitigate, and enhance the health of aquatic ecosystems. Research conducted within the Program is focused on the following 3 areas of study, (1) controlling aquatic invasive species, (2) fisheries restoration, and (3) understanding the impacts of contaminants on aquatic ecosystems.
Browse Aquatic Ecosystem Health science related to:
Invasive Carp Control: Carbon Dioxide
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is being evaluated as a chemical control for invasive carps. Recent work involves investigations on the effectiveness of CO2 as a tool to limit range expansion by blocking upstream migrations (behavioral deterrent) and manage existing populations (lethal control). Data generated from these studies are intended to inform resource managers decisions...
Evaluate Propagation Efforts and Determine Dispersal Patterns for Quadrula fragosa from Tagged, Artificially Infested Host Fish (Ictalurus punctatus) in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway (SACN)
The Winged Mapleleaf mussel (Quadrula fragosa) is only known to inhabit five locations in the U.S., and the population in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway is isolated both physically and genetically from the other populations. In 2000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) issued Reasonable and Prudent Measures, which required the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to...
Improving Survival of Juvenile Winged Mapleleaf Mussels (Quadrula fragosa) Through Identification of Host Fish Overwintering Areas
The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway (SACN) is one of the last refuges for rapidly declining populations of native unionid mussels in the United States and supports the only known self-sustaining population of the federally endangered Winged Mapleleaf mussel (Quadrula fragosa) in the upper Mississippi River basin. The Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) is the only known...
Database and web application for invasive carp catch data (Illinois River Catch Database)
Four types of invasive carp are currently found in the United States: black, grass, silver, and bighead carps. These species are fast growing, prolific feeders that out-compete native fish species and drastically alter the natural ecosystems they invade. To prevent the spread of invasive carp into the Great Lakes, the multi-agency Asian Carp Regional...
Database and web application for invasive carp telemetry data (FishTracks)
Four types of invasive carp fish species, are currently found in the United States: black, grass, silver, and bighead carps. These species are fast growing, prolific feeders that out-compete native fish species and drastically alter the natural ecosystems they invade. To prevent the spread of invasive carp into the Great Lakes, the multi-agency Asian Carp...
Development of Sampling Protocols and Diagnostic Tools for Assessment of Freshwater Mussel Health
Assessing Impacts of Emerging and Established Diseases to Aquatic Ecosystems
The role of disease in freshwater mussel declines has been largely ignored due to the lack of appropriate diagnostic tools....
Development of a Broad Microarray Technology to Survey for Aquatic Pathogens
Assessing Impacts of Emerging and Established Diseases to Aquatic Ecosystems
The need to maintain healthy aquatic ecosystems and sustain healthy communities is greatly recognized. Aquatic pathogens pose a...
Assessing Impacts of Emerging and Established Diseases to Aquatic Ecosystems
Native freshwater mussels play a critical role in aquatic environments and are considered “ecosystem engineers” and indicators of water quality by constantly filtering water. Populations of native freshwater mussels have declined in recent years, and this decline has been attributed to factors such as habitat degradation, pollution, and invasive species, among others. The importance of these...
Investigation Into Mass Mussel Die-off Events
Assessing Impacts of Emerging and Established Diseases to Aquatic Ecosystems
The decline of native freshwater mussels has the potential to devastate aquatic communities. Although factors such as habitat...
Management Tools for Dreissenid Mussels
Dreissenid mussels have posed an aquatic invasive species challenge in the United States since their arrival in the Great Lakes in the 1980s. Zebra (Dreissena polymorpha) and Quagga (D. bugensis) mussels are filter feeders with high reproductive capacity. Their behaviors result in altered nutrient cycles, shifts in trophic structures, and extirpation of some native species in...
Development of Selective Control Tools
Management Tools for Dreissenid Mussels
Currently, dreissenid mussel populations are spreading and becoming a growing problem in many aquatic systems, making it important to find management techniques that are selective for the invasive...
Evaluation of Carbon Dioxide to Control Dreissenid Mussels
Management Tools for Dreissenid Mussels
Carbon dioxide (CO2) has been suggested as a chemical control for a variety of invasive aquatic organisms, including Asian Carp. USGS researchers and partners evaluated the efficacy of low CO...
Evaluation of Copper as a Control Agent for Invasive Mussels
Management Tools for Dreissenid Mussels
USGS researchers and partners conducted an experimental application of low dose copper, as EarthTecQZ, to a bay in Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota. The veliger density and settlement were compared to that...