Freshwater Mussels: Historical and Contemporary Threats in the Pacific Northwest
Faculty Sponsor(s)
Kurt Ingeman
Subject Area
Environmental Studies
Description
Freshwater mussels are a long-lived, bioindicating, filter feeding invertebrate species. They are crucial to freshwater ecosystem health. However they are North America's most imperiled species. With limited information about local population distribution's our first research question was: What is the current native fresh water mussel distribution in the Greater Yamhill Watershed (GWY)? Additionally we had a second guiding question made based on our reseach into mussel's life history traits in combination with GYW's historical logging practices that have heavily altered mussel habitat. Do historic logging practices, such as splash dams and log drives, explain freshwater mussel distribution in the GYW?
Using an analytical mapping program and exisiting databases we identified 16 streams paired by shared physical characteristics, and by presence or absence of history of splash dams and log drives. Through conducting stream surverys in these paired streams we were able to further our understanding of distribution in effected and uneffected waterways. While surveying these rivers, we also found contemporary threats to these species. Through the course of our monitoring a large mussel bed became dewatered during baseflows over summer causing hundereds of mussels to die.This makes water policy, especially during climate change and droughts, an important future direction for this new research project.
Recommended Citation
Mifflin, Rebecca, "Freshwater Mussels: Historical and Contemporary Threats in the Pacific Northwest" (2024). Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement. Event. Submission 5.
https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/symposium/2024/all/5
Freshwater Mussels: Historical and Contemporary Threats in the Pacific Northwest
Freshwater mussels are a long-lived, bioindicating, filter feeding invertebrate species. They are crucial to freshwater ecosystem health. However they are North America's most imperiled species. With limited information about local population distribution's our first research question was: What is the current native fresh water mussel distribution in the Greater Yamhill Watershed (GWY)? Additionally we had a second guiding question made based on our reseach into mussel's life history traits in combination with GYW's historical logging practices that have heavily altered mussel habitat. Do historic logging practices, such as splash dams and log drives, explain freshwater mussel distribution in the GYW?
Using an analytical mapping program and exisiting databases we identified 16 streams paired by shared physical characteristics, and by presence or absence of history of splash dams and log drives. Through conducting stream surverys in these paired streams we were able to further our understanding of distribution in effected and uneffected waterways. While surveying these rivers, we also found contemporary threats to these species. Through the course of our monitoring a large mussel bed became dewatered during baseflows over summer causing hundereds of mussels to die.This makes water policy, especially during climate change and droughts, an important future direction for this new research project.
