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Riparian land-use and in-stream habitat predict the distribution of a critically endangered freshwater mussel

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Abstract

Recent human population growth in North America’s southern Appalachian Mountains has raised concerns about the effects of ex-urban development on its streams and their at-risk biota. The few studies to examine effects of land-use change in this region found that many headwater species require well-forested watersheds. Alasmidonta raveneliana is endemic to montane streams in North Carolina and Tennessee and during the past 20 years populations have declined alarmingly in several former strongholds. In 2015, we conducted surveys for A. raveneliana and quantified in-stream habitat and land-use at 25 current or historically occupied sites in the Nolichucky Drainage. We found that A. raveneliana populations were only detected at sites with well-forested watersheds and low proportions of fine substrates. Thin-sections revealed that A. raveneliana is fast-growing and short-lived (max age ~ 12 years) which may be an adaptation to unpredictable headwater streams. However, like many headwater specialists, A. raveneliana appears sensitive to changes in forest cover. Our results suggest that subtle changes in stream habitats linked to land-use change are a significant threat to the long-term survival of this species. Protection of forested headwaters and restoration of riparian zones appear to be the best strategies for conserving populations of this critically endangered freshwater mussel.

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Acknowledgements

Funding for this research was provided by Grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to MG and from the Appalachian State University Office of Student Research and the Graduate Student Association to GP. We thank T. Franklin, S. Geda, D. Mason, W. Pugh, J. Selong, M. Thompson, M. Winebarger (ASU); J. Fridell (USFWS, ret) and A. Goetz (USFWS, ret); S. Fraley and W.T. Russ (NCWRC) for assistance with field sampling and access to historical data. Mark Endries and Doug Newcomb (USFWS) assisted with land-use and statistical analyses. Robert Butler (USFWS, ret), Michael Madritch (ASU), and members of the Gangloff and Siefferman labs at Appalachian State University read earlier versions of this publication and provided helpful comments on the draft.

Disclaimer

The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Funding

Funding was provided by grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Dr. Michael Gangloff and from the Appalachian State University Office of Student Research and the Graduate Student Association to Mr. Gary Pandolfi. The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. The R Code and publicly obtained datasets utilized in this research are publicly available via the included references.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. US Fish and Wildlife Service, Austin Ecological Services Field Office, 10711 Burnet Road Suite 200, Austin, TX, 78758, USA

    Gary S. Pandolfi

  2. Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, 572 Rivers Street, Boone, NC, 28608-2027, USA

    Gary S. Pandolfi & Michael M. Gangloff

  3. US Fish and Wildlife Service, Asheville Ecological Services Field Office, 160 Zillicoa Street, Asheville, NC, 28801, USA

    Jason W. Mays

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  1. Gary S. Pandolfi
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Correspondence to Gary S. Pandolfi.

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This manuscript adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and follows their guidelines. Human study subjects were not included in this research. Invertebrates (e.g., mussels) are exempt from Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee regulations. However, live animals encountered in this study were handled with care and promptly released unharmed into the wild. Appropriate federal, state, and local permits as well as private landowner access was obtained and adhered to. All authors freely consent to having participated in this research project, data analysis, and manuscript drafting. All authors consent to have this manuscript published as an original research article.

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Pandolfi, G.S., Mays, J.W. & Gangloff, M.M. Riparian land-use and in-stream habitat predict the distribution of a critically endangered freshwater mussel. Hydrobiologia 849, 1763–1776 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-022-04826-8

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