Studies were conducted to determine the macrohabitat factors structuring high quality mussel habitat in the Clinch and Little rivers. In the first habitat study, 4 substratum variables, 7 channel morphology variables, and 3 stream and valley variables were compared between high and low mussel density aggregations from 6 study reaches. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were conducted separately for all transects, unbraided (without islands) transects, and braided (anastomosing river channels with islands) transects. Stepwise discriminant analysis (SDA) was used in the first habitat study to identify variables which best differentiated high and low mussel density transect groups. Percent bedrock (PBR) (p>F=0.002), d50 particle size (p>F=0.03), and mean depth (MDEP) (p>F=0.11) were the most useful predictors (cumulative average squared canonical correlation (ASCC) = 0.30) when SDA was performed on all transects (n = 66). The ASCC values improved substantially when unbraided and braided transects were analyzed separately. PBR (p>F=0.0001), d84 particle size (p>F=0.05), MDEP (p>F=0.03), and direction of streamflow (DIR) (p>F=0.05) were selected by SDA (cumulative ASCC = 0.52) for unbraided transects (n = 43), and proximity to floodplain (PROX) (p>F=0.0008) and PBR (p>F=0.005) were selected by SDA (cumulative ASCC = 0.61) for braided transects (n = 23). In the second habitat study, 14 habitat variables were compared between high and low quality mussel sites documented in a TVA survey (1986). The variables PBR (p>F=0.0001), d84 (p>F=0.0001), DIR (p>F=0.09), and valley floor width (VFW) (p>F=0.05) were selected by SDA (cumulative ASCC = 0.69) when all sites were included in the analysis; and PBR (p>F=0.0095), d84 (p>F=0.004), d50 (p>F=0.15), and DIR (p>F=0.07) were selected (cumulative ASCC = 0.62) when only unbraided sites were included in the analysis. Mussels were associated with areas of smaller mean particle size with low exposed bedrock in the channel cross-section. Site location patterns for the entire TVA data set (n = 141 sites) were examined for patterns relative to streamflow direction. The greatest frequency of high quality unbraided sites occurred where the river flows in the direction of geologic dip. High quality braided sites occurred where the river flows along the line of geologic strike. The orientation of bedrock ledges relative to direction of streamflow seemingly determines the long-term stability of mussel habitat in unbraided reaches by retaining streambed alluvium during high discharge events. / Ph. D.

<p>The freshwater pearl mussel, Margaritifera margaritifera, is a species in decline throughout its entire range in Europe and North America. In Sweden, the species has disappeared from one third of the watercourses it was found in a century ago, and recruitment occurs in only one third of the approximately 400 populations of mussels remaining. Changes to a watercourse induced by forestry are seen to be among the causes of decline, though there is little direct evidence. This study used GIS to determine various aspects of land cover in the catchment areas of 25 mussel populations in Western Värmland, Sweden. The road network, percentage of different land covers, and forest age were examined at four scales: whole catchment, subcatchment (up to nearest sediment trap), 250m and 100m streamside corridors. Streams containing populations of recruiting mussels had significantly fewer road crossings than streams with non-recruiting populations, perhaps due to increased sedimentation of streams in connection to road crossings. Recruiting mussels were found in catchments with more forest of age class 4-40 years, and significance increased as the scale of analysis was reduced. Almost all other age classes were insignificant. Reasons for these relationships are proposed, which include the larger proportion of birch in young forest (which provide more easily degradable material than conifer needles); and the higher acidity of soils in conifer forests, which increases with forest age and can be detrimental to mussels.</p> / <p>Flodpärlmusslan, Margaritifera margaritifera, visar en kraftig nedgång i hela sitt utbredning-område i Europa och Nordamerika. I Sverige har arten försvunnit från en tredjedel av alla vattendrag som den fanns i för hundra år sedan, och rekrytering sker bara i en tredjedel av de cirka 400 återstående populationerna. Förändringar i vattendrag, som en följd av skogsbruk, ses som en orsak till nedgången, dock finns det föga bevis. GIS användes för att undersöka olika aspekter av markslag i avrinningsområden för 25 musselpopulationer i västra Värmland. Vägnätet, procentandel av olika markslagtyper och skogsålder undersöktes på fyra nivåer: hela avrinningsområdet, avrinningsområdet uppströms till närmaste sedimentfälla och med 250m respektive 100m zoner runt bäcken. Vattendrag med rekryterande populationer hade signifikant färre vägkorsningar än vattendrag utan rekrytering, kanske på grund av ökad sedimentation i vattendrag där vägar korsar dem. Rekryterande populationer fanns i avrinningsområden med mer skog i åldersklass 4-40 år, och detta samband blev mer signifikant i och med lägre analysnivå. De flesta andra åldersklasserna uppvisade ingen signifikans. Förklaring till dessa samband föreslås bland annat vara större inslag av björk i ungskog, vilket ger ett lättare nedbrytbart material än barrträd, och den surare marken som förekommer med barrskog, vilken förvärras med skogsålder och därigenom kan vara skadlig för unga musslor.</p>

The freshwater pearl mussel, Margaritifera margaritifera, is a species in decline throughout its entire range in Europe and North America. In Sweden, the species has disappeared from one third of the watercourses it was found in a century ago, and recruitment occurs in only one third of the approximately 400 populations of mussels remaining. Changes to a watercourse induced by forestry are seen to be among the causes of decline, though there is little direct evidence. This study used GIS to determine various aspects of land cover in the catchment areas of 25 mussel populations in Western Värmland, Sweden. The road network, percentage of different land covers, and forest age were examined at four scales: whole catchment, subcatchment (up to nearest sediment trap), 250m and 100m streamside corridors. Streams containing populations of recruiting mussels had significantly fewer road crossings than streams with non-recruiting populations, perhaps due to increased sedimentation of streams in connection to road crossings. Recruiting mussels were found in catchments with more forest of age class 4-40 years, and significance increased as the scale of analysis was reduced. Almost all other age classes were insignificant. Reasons for these relationships are proposed, which include the larger proportion of birch in young forest (which provide more easily degradable material than conifer needles); and the higher acidity of soils in conifer forests, which increases with forest age and can be detrimental to mussels. / Flodpärlmusslan, Margaritifera margaritifera, visar en kraftig nedgång i hela sitt utbredning-område i Europa och Nordamerika. I Sverige har arten försvunnit från en tredjedel av alla vattendrag som den fanns i för hundra år sedan, och rekrytering sker bara i en tredjedel av de cirka 400 återstående populationerna. Förändringar i vattendrag, som en följd av skogsbruk, ses som en orsak till nedgången, dock finns det föga bevis. GIS användes för att undersöka olika aspekter av markslag i avrinningsområden för 25 musselpopulationer i västra Värmland. Vägnätet, procentandel av olika markslagtyper och skogsålder undersöktes på fyra nivåer: hela avrinningsområdet, avrinningsområdet uppströms till närmaste sedimentfälla och med 250m respektive 100m zoner runt bäcken. Vattendrag med rekryterande populationer hade signifikant färre vägkorsningar än vattendrag utan rekrytering, kanske på grund av ökad sedimentation i vattendrag där vägar korsar dem. Rekryterande populationer fanns i avrinningsområden med mer skog i åldersklass 4-40 år, och detta samband blev mer signifikant i och med lägre analysnivå. De flesta andra åldersklasserna uppvisade ingen signifikans. Förklaring till dessa samband föreslås bland annat vara större inslag av björk i ungskog, vilket ger ett lättare nedbrytbart material än barrträd, och den surare marken som förekommer med barrskog, vilken förvärras med skogsålder och därigenom kan vara skadlig för unga musslor.

Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2004. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Dec. 7, 2005). Vita. In abstract the "E" in HE is subscript. Includes bibliographical references.

There is no abstract available for this thesis. / Department of Biology

No description available.

Freshwater mussel propagation techniques were tested at the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Center through a series of three experiments. Experiment 1 tested the suitability of a pond and raceway for rearing juvenile oystermussels (Epioblasma capsaeformis) and wavyrayed lampmussel (Lampsilis fasciola). This experiment was prematurely terminated due to predation on mussels by fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas). Experiment 2 evaluated growth and survival of juvenile rainbow mussels in outdoor troughs and indoor aquaria. There was no significant difference in survival or growth between the two systems. Experiment 3 used troughs similar to those in Experiment 2 to rear E. capsaeformis and L. fasciola under two silt regimes. Survival for Experiment 3 was significantly greater for L. fasciola. The comparison between silt regimes indicated that individuals in the high-silt treatment had better survival than those in the low-silt treatment. The difference between these 2 treatments may be a reflection of increased escapement in the low-silt treatment, which may have resulted from more frequent disturbance during sampling. Growth of L. fasciola was significantly greater than E. capsaeformis, and was greater in the low-silt treatment. A habitat survey of the Clinch River, Virginia was conducted from Blackford, Clinch River Kilometer (CRK) 478 to the Tennessee border, CRK 325. Physical characteristics identified in the survey were combined with water quality and impact source data to develop a habitat suitability index for freshwater mussels within this study reach. Model parameters were indexed and weighted to give a final suitability ranking. Habitat units having the highest overall ranking included: Nash Ford (CRK 449), Artrip (CRK 442), several riffles and runs below Carterton (CRK 417), upstream of Mill Island (CRK 389.5), and Pendleton Island (CRK 365), and Speers Ferry (CRK 333-325). Potential locations for habitat restoration projects and additional monitoring were also identified. / Master of Science

Aquatic organisms experience intermittent exposure to contaminants. The hazard from such discontinuous exposure may not simply be predicted from existing continuous exposure. Little is known about the bioaccumulation responses of shellfish to metals during intermittent compared to the continuous exposure counterparts. This study was designed to compare the bioaccumulation responses of two metals (Cd and Hg) singly (Chapters 3 and 4) or mixtures (Chapters 5 and 6) during continuous and intermittent exposure. Responses were examined using a multi-assay approach in areas of oxidative stress, osmoregulation, haematology and organ pathology. Tissue metal concentrations were highest in the gill and digestive gland for both metals. The linear or curvilinear pattern of accumulation was observed in the continuous exposure. While an alternating temporal uptake and clearance corresponding with the exposure was observed in the gill (Hg alone) and haemolymph (Cd alone) in intermittent profile. At the end, the study shows that accumulation of Hg or Cd was less in the intermittent compared to the continuous exposure for most tissue. Sub-lethal responses during Hg or Cd alone were similar in both regime apart from the severe pathology in the gill (continuous exposure) and inflammation in the digestive gland (intermittent exposure) observed in the Hg alone treatment (Chapter 4). For Hg plus Cd mixture, the additive effect in accumulation was observed in both exposures. Sub-lethal responses during mixtures were not affected in the intermittent. However, an antagonistic interaction was observed in the TBARS during continuous exposures for all tissues apart from the digestive gland. In terms of risk assessment, regulations for the single metals in continuous exposure will be protective for intermittent events at least for adult M.galloprovincialis.

Metals and radionuclides are environmentally relevant contaminants, yet their potential impacts on marine organisms have not been adequately evaluated. This is especially true for exposures of longer duration and/or lower contaminant concentration (i.e. chronic) which are often more representative of real world scenarios. In this context, a suite of biomarkers at different levels of biological organisation were investigated in an ecologically relevant bivalve species, Mytilus galloprovin- cialis after exposure to nickel (a metal), zinc pyrithione (an organometal) and tritiated water (a radionuclide). These contaminants were chosen based on their differing properties, and hence, mechanisms of action. All three contaminants produced genotoxicity (DNA strand breaks, as measured by the comet assay, and induction of micronuclei [MN]). For nickel (> 1800 µg L −1 ) and tritiated water (15 MBq L−1 ), biomarkers at lower levels of biological organisation (i.e. DNA strand breaks, MN, changes in the expression of key stress response genes) were more sensitive than those at higher levels (i.e. clearance rate, attachment, tolerance of anoxia). In particular, exposure to tritiated water for 14 days resulted in DNA damage and molecular alterations without affecting higher level responses. As environmental contaminants could interact with other physical or chemical stressors in a complex environment, further exploration of biological responses revealed modulation by hyperthermia with concomitant changes in the transcriptional ex- pression of key defence genes (hsp70, hsp90, mt20, p53 and rad51). In contrast to nickel and tritiated water, exposure to both 0.2 and 2.0 µM zinc pyrithione caused significant deviation from concurrent controls for every biomarker examined, suggesting that further investigation of the environmental impacts of this contaminant is particularly necessary. Variation in biological responses induced by different contaminants suggests that potential links between levels of organisa- tion should be evaluated on a contaminant-specific basis. The integrated, multiple biomarker approach used in the current study provides a robust methodology for such studies, which could be translated to other ecologically relevant species for proper evaluation of risks to both environmental and human health.

Shellfish aquaculture is growing rapidly with the expanding human population, offering high-quality animal protein as well as economic benefits to producing areas. Cultivation relies on coastal and estuarine habitats, dynamic ecosystems where marine organisms including mussels are exposed to natural environmental variability, and which will be affected by climate change (e.g. ocean warming, acidification, desalination etc.). This thesis investigated the variability in blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, performances under suspended rope-culture in a stratified Scottish sea loch, Loch Leven. Environmental conditions were monitored over one year and at different culture depths and related to the mussel's product quality (meat yield, condition index), genetic composition (genotype, extent of hybridisation) and shell phenotype (shell strength and shape). Environmental conditions varied over time (seasonal cycles and short-term fluctuations) but also across depth, generating different microhabitats for mussels depending on their position on the rope. Conditions varied most at shallow culture depths, for salinity in particular, but presented warmer temperature and higher food availability compared to greater depths and promoted mussel growth and abundance. Meat yield and condition index followed a seasonal cycle, with maximum values in early summer and minimum values in winter, associated with environmental (nutritional) and reproductive cycles. The genetic composition and shell morphology of cultured mussels differed across depth. On average, every sixth mussel carried alleles of Mytilus trossulus, but the level of introgression was overall low. However, highly introgressed mussels (≥ 75 %) presented distinct shell morphology (significantly lower shell strength, elongated shell shape) and originated mainly from shallow culture depths. This phenotype distinguished them from their congeners and allowed for their identification based on shell characters. This thesis presents the variability in suspended mussel culture in a heterogeneous environment, highlighting the complex relationships between habitat conditions and the genetic and phenotypic make-up in naturally occurring mixed-species stocks. The knowledge gained offers guidance for the farm operators to optimise production (site selection, spat collection etc.) and provides better predictions for the industry on the possible effects associated with climate change on future mussel production.