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PLEASE NOTE: The schedule posted here is as of 1/25/16, and is subject to change. Please check back for updates.
AUTHORS:Garth Lindner*, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, The University of Missouri; Kristen Bouska, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, The University of Missouri; Kayla Key, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, The University of Missouri; Amanda Rosenberger, U.S. Geological Survey, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, The University of Missouri
ABSTRACT: The Meramec River basin, located in the northeastern Ozark region of Missouri, has one the most diverse mussel faunas in the Midwest. Basin-wide mussel surveys documented declines in species richness and diversity in this system over the past thirty years. However, the mechanisms leading to this decline are poorly understood. A better understanding of the habitat requirements of mussels will provide insight into the causes of mussel decline, and, in turn, improve conservation management actions. In this project, we use widely available landscape scale datasets to identify the basic physical habitat requirements needed to support diverse aggregations of mussels in the form of a fundamental niche model. We focus on metrics related to channel hydraulics, hydrology, and geomorphology to address channel stability and sediment fluxes. The maximum entropy modeling method (Maxent) was applied to generate a fundamental niche model based on the hydro-geomorphic input variables and known locations of diverse mussel assemblages. This method uses incomplete information (i.e., presence only data) to find the probability of distribution of maximum entropy (i.e., closest to uniform) given the constraints of known locations and environmental variables. The model identifies locations throughout the Meramec Basin that provide the fundamental characteristics allowing establishment of diverse mussel aggregations. Field validation of model predictions and identification of additional limiting factors for mussels will be conducted in the summer of 2016.
Tuesday January 26, 2016 1:20pm - 1:40pm EST
Vandenberg B