Using Freshwater Mussels as Ecosystem Indicators and Development of Methods for Mussel Restoration

Resource managers are faced with the daunting task of conserving highly imperiled freshwater mussels in the face of multiple stressors. Mussels are sensitive indicators of the health of aquatic ecosystems and the resilience of these ecosystems to future change. The widespread decline of mussels indicates serious and pervasive ecosystem degradation, which affects all users of freshwater resources. However, the relative contributions of various stressors to mussel declines are poorly understood, making it difficult for managers to protect remaining mussel populations and to prescribe remedial actions for affected streams. It is also difficult to assess the effectiveness of habitat restoration and other management activities intended to conserve mussels and aquatic ecosystems in general. We propose to develop an easily employed, repeatable, and robust tool for directly assessing the ability of streams to support mussel populations and for assessing causes of mussel declines and ecosystem degradation.