Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program Long Term Resource Monitoring

Small Scale Spatial Patterns of Freshwater Mussels in the Upper Mississippi River. A completion report submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program from the U.S. Geological Survey

Ries, Patty.  2018.  Small Scale Spatial Patterns of Freshwater Mussels in the Upper Mississippi River. A completion report submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program from the U.S. Geological Survey, LTRM-2015MRF22. 37 pp.

Abstract

Our objective was to quantify the degree of patchiness in the distribution of juvenile and adult mussels at small spatial scales (i.e., < 300 m), typically within a single mussel bed. Data on how mussels are distributed within and across beds will help managers design effective surveys for mussels, aid in selecting sites for restoration projects, and provide insights into the role of spatial heterogeneity in the functioning of river ecosystems. 

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