Conservation Implications of Late Holocene Freshwater Mussel Remains of the Leon River in Central Texas
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Hydrobiologia DOI 10.1007/s10750-016-3041-y FRESHWATER BIVALVES Conservation implications of late Holocene freshwater mussel remains of the Leon River in central Texas Traci Popejoy . Charles R. Randklev . Steve Wolverton . Lisa Nagaoka Received: 12 June 2016 / Revised: 21 August 2016 / Accepted: 29 October 2016 Ó Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 Abstract Zooarchaeology is the study of animal taxonomic composition of the freshwater mussel remains (bone, shell, antler, and other organic tissues) community from the Leon River in central Texas from archaeological sites, which can provide conser- differs between the late Holocene and today. Specif- vation biologists with data on human–environmental ically, we analyzed two zooarchaeological assem- interactions with greater time depth than historical blages and compared those results with recent surveys records. Such data are of interest because they can be conducted within the Leon River. Three species used to study whether or not contemporary animal proposed for listing under the Endangered Species communities (in this case of freshwater mussels) have Act are found in the zooarchaeological record, of changed in terms of species composition or range as a which two are now extirpated from the river basin result of human-induced changes to habitat, which is (Truncilla macrodon and Fusconaia mitchelli). The essential for determining a species’ conservation results of this study provide an example of how status and formulating actions to protect remaining zooarchaeological data can be used to evaluate mussel populations. This study considers whether or not the community change through time and provide evidence of range curtailment for threatened mussel species. Keywords Freshwater mussels Á Conservation biogeography Á Applied zooarchaeology Á Range Guest editors: Manuel P. M. Lopes-Lima, Ronaldo G. Sousa, Lyuba E. Burlakova, Alexander Y. Karatayev & Knut constriction Á Conservation baselines Mehler / Ecology and Conservation of Freshwater Bivalves T. Popejoy (&) Introduction Oklahoma Biological Survey, Department of Biology, and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Graduate Program, University of Oklahoma, 111. E. Chesapeake St., Norman, As freshwater mussels (Family: Unionidae) provide OK 73019, USA many ecosystem services to the human populations e-mail: [email protected] reliant on rivers as a source of freshwater, their T. Popejoy Á S. Wolverton Á L. Nagaoka conservation is important for ensuring healthy rivers Department of Geography and the Environment, (Vaughn et al., 2015). These organisms are sensitive to University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA anthropogenic changes to the natural flow regime of streams due to their sedentary adult and parasitic C. R. Randklev Texas A&M, Institute of Renewable and Natural juvenile life stages, and thus have steadily declined Resources, College Station, TX 77843, USA (Vaughn &Taylor, 1999; Haag & Warren Jr., 2008; 123 Hydrobiologia Nobles & Zhang, 2011; Shea et al., 2013; Gates et al., 2012; Peacock, 2012; Wolverton & Lyman, 2012a; 2015). Of the almost 300 species native to North Scharf, 2014; Dombrosky et al., 2016; Wolverton America, approximately 10% are now considered et al., 2016). Zooarchaeological data can be used to extinct and 65% are imperiled (Haag & Williams, understand ecological processes that happen on eco- 2014). In Texas, there are currently 15 species listed as logical and evolutionary time scales (Landres, 1992; state threatened (Texas Administration Code, 2000,as Swetnam et al., 1999; Scharf, 2014). Specifically, amended) of which six are candidates for protection zooarchaeological data can be used to improve under the United States Endangered Species Act knowledge of the biogeographic distribution of mus- (hereafter ESA; Endangered Species Act, 1973,as sels (Peacock et al., 2012; Wolverton & Randklev, amended). Of these six species, five are endemic to 2016), but such data can also potentially provide central Texas, making rivers in this region important evidence of mussel population dynamics such as for the conservation of unionid diversity in the state maximum age and maximum growth (Christian et al., (Burlakova et al., 2011). This fact, coupled with 2005; Weber, 2005; Randklev et al., 2009). In realization that increasing human demands for water addition, historical and zooarchaeological data can in central Texas (Wolaver et al., 2012) may impact inform conservation efforts with long-term data prior remaining populations, has prompted state and federal to industrial, post-industrial, and/or agricultural agencies to identify mussel conservation goals and human-mediated impacts that occurred after the research needs (Neves, 1995; Haag & Williams, 2014; Euroamerican period began in North America (Alag- Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society, 2016). ona et al., 2012; Balaguer et al., 2014). Two of these goals center on the need for increased Applied zooarchaeology of freshwater mussel understanding of the geographic distribution of mus- remains has informed conservation by providing sels and for more information on the status and trends evidence of taxonomic and/or community structure of individual populations. shifts and changes in the distribution of unionid Knowledge about the geographic distributions of populations. Since early research by Ortmann (1909), mussels, past and present, varies considerably by zooarchaeological specimens have been used as a species and region. For states like Texas, where reference for the prehistoric taxonomic composition of mussel conservation efforts are relatively new, the mussel communities in heavily impacted rivers (Par- distribution of mussels is generally known, but malee et al., 1982; Parmalee & Bogan, 1986; Parmalee detailed knowledge of the status of mussel populations & Polhemus, 2004). Zooarchaeological data have within specific drainages or their historical distribu- been used to describe new species and explore tion is lacking (Tsakiris & Randklev, 2016). Similarly, prehistoric extinctions (Williams & Fradkin, 1999). knowledge of the status and trends of individual Such data have also been used to address how unionid populations are unknown, though this is not unique to community structure has changed in river basins Texas (see Haag & Williams, 2014). This paucity of (Bogan, 1990; Miller et al., 2014; Mitchell & Peacock, information poses two major problems for mussel 2014). More recently zooarchaeological unionid spec- conservation efforts in Texas. First, a lack of species- imens have been used to discuss shifts in unionid distribution information means that inferences regard- ranges (Randklev et al., 2010b; Peacock et al., 2012; ing the status of a given species, regardless of whether Randklev & Lundeen, 2012; Wolverton & Randklev, it is considered rare or common, may not be correct, 2016). With this in mind, zooarchaeological data which can then lead to flawed baselines for conserva- represent an under-utilized source of information for tion and restoration efforts (Rick & Lockwood, 2013). conservation and wildlife management in the south- Second, if population dynamics are unknown, then western United States. inferences regarding the stability or long-term viabil- The purpose of this applied zooarchaeological ity of a population might be incorrect (Humphries & study is to evaluate whether or not the unionid Winemiller, 2009). community from the Leon River in central Texas Applied zooarchaeology is the study of faunal changed between the late Holocene and today, thereby remains from archaeological sites to provide informa- establishing a pre-Euroamerican baseline for commu- tion relevant to conservation biology (Lyman, 1996; nity composition. Specifically, we analyzed mussel Cannon & Cannon, 2004; Peacock, 2005; Lyman, remains from site 41HM61 and multiple small 123 Hydrobiologia zooarchaeological assemblages surrounding Belton Q. houstonensis and T. macrodon are candidates for Lake on the Leon River in central Texas. The relative listing under the ESA, while F. mitchelli is petitioned abundances of the resulting zooarchaeological analy- for listing (Table 1; Endangered Species Act, 1973,as sis are reported. We discuss nominal-scale differences amended; Texas Administrative Code, 2000, as in taxonomic composition between the late Holocene amended; Randklev et al., 2013a; United States Fish zooarchaeological assemblages and the contemporary and Wildlife Service, 2014). All three species histor- unionid fauna of this river. Although we discuss the ically occurred in the Colorado and Brazos River broader mussel community in the Leon River, special drainages with F. mitchelli also occurring in the attention is given to species that are of conservation Guadalupe drainage (Fig. 2; Howells et al., 1996; concern. Howells, 2013). Recently Q. houstonensis has been found to be abundant and widely distributed in the lower Brazos River. Fusconaia mitchelli and T. Materials and methods macrodon were considered extirpated until popula- tions were recently found in the Guadalupe and Brazos Study area River basins (Randklev et al., 2010a, 2012, 2013c). Extant F. mitchelli populations are located in the San The Leon River is a tributary of the Brazos River in Saba (Colorado drainage), Llano (Colorado drainage), central Texas, located in the Great Prairie and Cross Guadalupe (downstream from Gonzales), and Little Timbers Forest ecoregions (Fig. 1; Tharp, 1939; Rose and San Gabriel Rivers (Brazos drainage; Randklev & Echelle, 1981). This region has a sub-humid et al.,