Fish and Aquatic Species

Freshwater mussels are the most imperiled group of animals in North America, with 66% of species at risk. Mussel populations are declining globally, but the factors contributing to these declines are largely unknown. Habitat fragmentation and alteration, point- and non-point source pollution, navigation-related impacts, and exotic species introductions are thought to be responsible for mussel...

Conservation and Restoration of Native Freshwater Mussels There has been substantial research on mussels in many areas, however, methods to estimate the overall health of mussels has received less attention. Assessing mussel health is difficult due to the lack of established benchmarks by which to judge what is suitable or normal. A mussels’ body is full of bacteria, viruses, and fungi that are...

Conservation and Restoration of Native Freshwater Mussels Over the past 50 years, about 20 native freshwater mussel species have been lost or greatly diminished from the Upper Mississippi River System and overall abundance of mussels has substantially declined in many portions of the river. While factors contributing to these declines are largely unknown, native mussels appear to be responsive to...

Conservation and Restoration of Native Freshwater Mussels Clean water is vital to public health, commerce, and recreation in the United States. Despite great efforts to reduce water pollution, many waters in the U.S. remain impaired. Having clean water not only supports considerable economic activity, but it also costs billions annually to maintain and provide. Freshwater mussels are avid filter...

Understanding the distribution of threatened and endangered freshwater mussels is needed to conserve and restore populations. Sampling for native freshwater mussels typically involves taking quadrat samples in soft substrates and counting the number of mussels in a defined area. However, this methodology is unsuitable for detecting populations of the Spectaclecase mussel ( Margaritifera monodonta...

Native freshwater mussels are a keystone species and are considered both ecosystem engineers, improving habitat for other species, and indicator species important in assessing the health of the ecosystem.

Researchers are investigating the influence of Antimycin A on invasive carp and non-target fishes by measuring the effects of a novel species-specific bait formulation.

An increased understanding of prairie-pothole-wetland macroinvertebrate dynamics is crucial to better inform conservation strategies related to waterfowl production, biodiversity enhancement, and wetland function/health maintenance. Wetlands in general are highly variable in space and time, and wetland macroinvertebrates are adapted to this great variability. Wetland ecosystems are also influenced...

Changes in the body condition of a key forage fish species, Pacific sand lance ( Ammodytes personatus ), are examined to understand how energy transfer to predators may have been disrupted during the recent marine heatwave in the North Pacific (late 2013 to mid 2016).

Applying quantitative methods to evaluate ecological hypotheses for wild animal populations is inherently challenging due to the complexity of ecological systems and the sampling process that is used to monitor them.

The American eel ( Anguilla rostrata ) migrates into freshwater in the juvenile (glass eel and elver) stage, feeds and grows in freshwater habitats, and migrates downstream to the ocean to spawn as an adult. Migrating eels frequently encounter barriers in river environments, primarily in the form of dams, that limit access of juveniles to upstream growth habitat, and can injure or kill adult...

To achieve the adaptive restoration objective of maximizing fish habitat, researchers will sample fish communities in Florida's Lake Apopka to compare between natural submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), restored SAV, and bare bottom habitat. To undertand SAV preference of juvenile largemouth bass, researchers will conduct controlled experiments. These experiments will help managers select which...