Influence of surrounding land-use on mussel growth and glycogen levels in the St. Croix and Minnesota River Basins

Daniel J. Hornbach, Hayley N. Stutzman, Mark C. Hove, Jessica L. Kozarek, Kelly R. MacGregor, Teresa J. Newton, Patricia R. Ries

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

Freshwater mussels face threats from climate change and changing land use that are dramatically altering their habitat. The health of mussel populations and the state of current and past environmental conditions can be monitored by measuring mussel growth and glycogen levels. In this study, we measured growth and glycogen levels in mussels from two small river basins impacted by different land uses. The Snake River in the St. Croix Basin, Minnesota, had low levels of suspended sediments and was surrounded mostly by forest and some developed land. The Chippewa, Cottonwood, and Le Sueur rivers in the Minnesota River Basin had significantly higher annual suspended sediment loads and highly agricultural basins. Mussel growth was highest in the Le Sueur and Cottonwood rivers followed by the Chippewa and the Snake rivers. Mussels in the Minnesota Basin rivers all had higher mussel foot glycogen concentrations than the Snake River. These patterns were similar for two mussel species, suggesting that environmental conditions are likely determining levels of growth. Although agriculture had a negative effect on mussel population abundance and diversity, it had a positive effect on growth and glycogen levels.

Original languageEnglish (US)
JournalHydrobiologia
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2019

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). The Trust Fund is a permanent fund constitutionally established by the citizens of Minnesota to assist in the protection, conservation, preservation and enhancement of the state’s air, water, land, fish, wildlife and other natural resources. Sampling help was provided by the following students from Macalester College: Lea Davidson, James (Mac) Doherty and Laura Gould. Will Bouchard of the MN Pollution Control Agency provided water quality data for our sampling areas. We also thank Michelle Bartsch, U.S. Geological Survey and James Stoeckel, Auburn University and anonymous reviewers for Hydrobiologia for comments on earlier drafts of the manuscript. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Keywords

  • Agriculture
  • Freshwater mussels
  • Glycogen
  • Growth

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