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Presented at the NABS Annual meeting, Athens, Georgia, 2003
in Conservation Ecology
Freshwater mollusk inventory of the Duck River Basin Tennessee: a preliminary report
J.R. Powell3, S.A. Ahlstedt1, P.D. Johnson2, R.A. Butler4, D. Hubbs5, M. Fagg6, S.K. Novak2, K.S. Klyce2, and S.R. Palmer7. 1USGS, 1820 Midpark Drive, Suite A, Knoxville, TN 37921, 22Tennessee Aquarium Research Institute, 5385 Red Clay Road, Cohutta, GA 30710, 3USGS, 640 Grassmere Park, Suite 100, Nashville, TN 37211, 4USFWS, 160 Zillicoa Street, Asheville, NC 28801, 5TWRA, PO Box 70, Camden, TN 32801, 6TWRA, 3030 Wildlife Way, Morristown, TN 37814, 7TNC, Duck River Alliance, 715 N. Main Street, Columbia, TN 38401
The Duck River basin located in south-central Tennessee has an established reputation for supporting freshwater mollusk diversity. Between 1999 and 2002, this project inventoried mollusks at 112 localities throughout the basin. While 74 species historically occurred in the basin, 55 taxa remain, including 3 federally listed species. Mussel densities and species richness examined either as Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) or quadrat sampling; indicate significant increases in mussel diversity and density since 1979. Mean mussel densities at Lillard’s Mill increased from 17.8 m2 in 1979 to 36.6 m2 (n = 20) in 2002. Generally, mussel species richness increased down-river (maximum 33 species per site), with a mean diversity of 17.6 species per site in the lower drainage. Mussel species richness was not significantly different (p = 0.76) across 12 sites sampled in 1922, 1965, and 2002. Changes in water quality and minimum flow restoration from Normandy Dam are credited for the improvement in mussel resources. For gastropods, 25 species were documented during the study, 4 being new species records for the drainage. Gastropod species richness was greatest in the middle reach of the basin with a mean of 6.84 species sampled per site. The apparent long-term stability for mollusk species richness and abundance in the Duck River basin make it an outstanding national resource.
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