Assessing Iowa's Inland Stream
Mussel Populations
Kelly Arbuckle karbuck@iastate.edu
The importance of freshwater mussels has been recognized for
decades. Historically, mussels were prized for their commercial
value in the production of pearl buttons. More recently, their
economic value is attributed to the Japanese culture-pearl industry.
They are also important ecologically as a food source for terrestrial
and aquatic animals and as water quality indicators. Once common
in Midwestern rivers and streams, mussels are now reported as
more at risk than any other group of animals. There are numerous
biological, chemical, and physical factors adversely influencing
freshwater mussel communities. These include commercial exploitation,
lack of host fishes, exotic species (e.g. zebra mussels), and
habitat degradation and destruction. Understanding the relationship
between these factors and mussel populations is important to the
management of these animals. Funded by the Iowa
Department of Natural Resources, this project focuses on assessing
inland stream mussel populations and identifying environmental
variables influencing their distribution. The study includes a
field survey to quantitatively assess current populations and
GIS analysis to describe physical factors impacting Iowa mussels.
