Changes in Host Use by Unionid Mussels Following River Channelization and Impoundment
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Mississippi State University Scholars Junction Theses and Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 1-1-2013 Changes in Host Use by Unionid Mussels Following River Channelization and Impoundment Lee Gray Turnage Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td Recommended Citation Turnage, Lee Gray, "Changes in Host Use by Unionid Mussels Following River Channelization and Impoundment" (2013). Theses and Dissertations. 984. https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/984 This Graduate Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Scholars Junction. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholars Junction. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Automated Template A: Created by James Nail 2011 V2.01 Changes in host use by unionid mussels following river channelization and impoundment By Lee Gray Turnage Jr. A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Mississippi State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters of Science in Biological Sciences in the Department of Biological Sciences Mississippi State, Mississippi August 2013 Copyright by Lee Gray Turnage Jr. 2013 Changes in host use by unionid mussels following river channelization and impoundment By Lee Gray Turnage Jr. Approved: _________________________________ _________________________________ Christopher P. Brooks Eric D. Dibble Assistant Professor of Biological Professor of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Sciences Aquaculture (Major Professor) (Committee Member) _________________________________ _________________________________ Gary N. Ervin R. Gregory Dunaway Professor and Graduate Coordinator of Professor and Interim Dean Biological Sciences College of Arts & Sciences (Committee Member) Name: Lee Gray Turnage Jr. Date of Degree: August 17, 2013 Institution: Mississippi State University Major Field: Biological Sciences Major Professor: Dr. Christopher Brooks Title of Study: Changes in host use by unionid mussels following river channelization and impoundment Pages in Study: 39 Candidate for Degree of Masters of Science More than half the North American freshwater mussel species in the family Unionidae (unionids) are imperiled or extinct. Alteration of rivers is considered a major contributor to unionid population declines. Losses could occur through disruption of the reproductive cycle. Unionid reproduction requires attachment of larva (glochidia) to host fishes; therefore, changes in the host fish community could alter the reproductive potential in unionid communities. There have been few attempts to compare reproductive success before and after alteration. I examined the pattern of glochidia use on two common host fishes, Lepomis megalotis and Cyprinella venusta, before and after alteration of the Tombigbee River. While both host species declined in the river, the number of glochidia per infested fish and proportion of infested fish increased post- impoundment in L. megalotis but not C. venusta. My results demonstrate the importance of considering reproductive changes as a driver of unionid mussel declines in North America. Keywords: Unionidae, Lepomis megalotis, impoundment, Cyrinella venusta, glochidia, Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway DEDICATION For my wife, Jeannie. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my major professor, Dr. Christopher Brooks, for mentoring me through this process. I would also like to thank my graduate committee members, Dr. Gary Ervin and Dr. Eric Dibble, for their time and thoughts throughout my time at Mississippi State. I would also like to thank Dr. Matt Roberts and Dr. Ronn Altig for training, the use of lab space, and guidance. Lastly, I would like to thank the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science for allowing me the use of specimens to conduct my research. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION .................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ...............................................................................................................v LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................1 II. MATERIALS AND METHODS .......................................................................6 Study System .....................................................................................................6 Data Collection ..................................................................................................7 Data Analysis .....................................................................................................8 III. RESULTS ........................................................................................................12 IV. DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................17 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................22 APPENDIX A. ABUNDANCES OF SELECT FISHES IN THE TOMBIGBEE AND BUTTAHATCHEE RIVER SYSTEMS..............................................28 B. FISH SPECIES PRESENT PRE- AND POST-IMPOUNDMENT OF THE TENNESSEE-TOMBIGBEE WATERWAY .............................32 C. MUSSEL SPECIES PRESENT PRE- AND POST-IMPOUNDMENT OF THE TENNESSEE-TOMBIGBEE WATERWAY .......................37 iv LIST OF TABLES 1 Mean catch per unit effort and variance in distribution of relative abundance for Cyprinella venusta and Lepomis megalotis.................... 14 2 Maximum likelihood estimates of mean glochidial load, µ, and overdispersion, k, for Cyprinella venusta and Lepomis megalotis......... 14 3 Number of glochidia on host fish captured in the Buttahatchee and Tombigbee rivers.................................................................................... 31 4 Variance of distribution of relative abundances for Micropterus salmoides, Campostoma oligoplepis, Lepomis megalotis, and Cyprinella venusta.................................................................................. 31 5 Fish species in the main channel of the Tombigbee River................................. 33 6 Freshwater mussels (Family: Unionidae) in the mainstem of the Tombigbee River.................................................................................... 38 v LIST OF FIGURES 1 Map of Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in Northeast Mississippi ..................10 2 Unionid parasites of Cyprinella venusta and Lepomis megalotis ......................11 3 Size of catch of Tombigbee Cyprinella venusta and Lepomis megalotis...........15 4 Relative abundance of Tombigbee Cyprinella venusta and Lepomis megalotis ................................................................................................16 5 Parasitism of Lepomis megalotis by Tombigbee unionids. ...............................21 vi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Impoundment and channelization alter the structure and ecological function of lotic ecosystems by changing their physical and chemical characteristics (Ellis 1936; Benke 1990; Williams et al. 1992; Watters 2000; Taylor et al. 2008). Channelization has an acute and recurring effect, causing massive disruption of the benthic environment through the removal of the substrate. Changes that occur as a consequence of impoundment are more persistent. Impounded systems become more lentic such that there is slower flow and greater deposition of silt (Ellis 1936; Watters 2000). Pollutants and nutrients which enter the system through runoff adhere to sediment particles and become concentrated in impounded systems, decreasing the fitness of many species of fish and mussels (Family: Unionidae) (Ellis 1936; Bates 1962; Negus 1966; Neves et al. 1997; Watters 2000; Arbuckle & Downing 2002; de Robertis et al. 2003; Corey et al. 2006; Osterling et al. 2008). Freshwater mussels in the family Unionidae (unionids) are especially sensitive to the changes associated with channelization and impoundment, because they reside in the benthic environment as adults (Ellis 1936; Arbuckle & Downing 2002; Osterling et al. 2008), feed from the water column (Nichols & Garling 2000; Vaughn et al. 2004; Christian et al. 2004; Nichols et al. 2005; Howard & Cuffey 2006), and rely on both 1 benthic and pelagic components of the local fish community for reproduction (Kat 1984; Haag & Warren 1997, 1998; Williams et al. 2008). Both the importance of unionid mussels to ecosystem function and their decline across North America have been well-documented (Williams et al. 1993; Neves et al. 1997; Lydeard et al. 2004; Wilcove & Master 2005). According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, 194 of the 297 North American unionid species (65%) are suffering severe declines, and another 21 species have become extinct in the past 67 years (Williams et al. 1993; Neves et al. 1997; Lydeard et al. 2004; Wilcove & Master 2005). Many of these declines have occurred in lotic systems that have been impounded and/or channelized (Williams et al. 1993; Neves et al. 1997; Watters 2000; Lydeard et al. 2004). It is not clear what role increased adult mortality or reduced reproductive success play in these declines. While siltation and other physical changes