Recovery of Freshwater Mussel Species at Risk (SAR) via Artificial and Natural Propagation
Principal Investigator: Dr. Josef D. Ackerman ( http://www.uoguelph.ca/ib/people/faculty/ackerman.shtml)
The main goal of our project is to identify fish host of SAR mussels and to develop methods of artificial propagation in the lab and captive propagation in the field that can be used to augment/re-establish SAR mussel populations in nature. The goal requires information on when the female mussels are gravid, what fish are available to them as potential hosts, developing techniques for transforming glochidia on fish in the laboratory and in the field into juvenile mussels, and developing techniques for raising the juvenile mussels to a size large enough that they can be used to augment existing populations or be reintroduced into habitats that have been recovered. Gravid female mussels will be collected and brought to the University of Guelph for host fish infestations. The female mussels will only be partial drained of their brood using non-invasive release techniques. The still gravid females will be returned to their respective locations to complete the spawning season. Our three specific objectives to achieve this goal for this year are:
(1) Host Fish Testing – we used a comparative approach to examine host fish suitability among potential fish species for SAR mussel.
(2) Rearing of Juveniles – we transformed large numbers of juvenile mussel SAR in the laboratory and investigate the best way to rear them that maximizes their growth and minimizes their mortality. We compare their growth on different algal diets and different culture containers. We also rear juveniles in the field via in-field enclosures so that we can compare their growth to those juveniles reared in-lab and determine more reliable methods of obtaining juvenile mussels.
(3) Determine Gravid Periods – We examine the gravid status of female mussels of target species from May to October to determine inter-river variation. This will inform host fish testing and propagation programs and also has led to the discovery of new localities for SAR mussels.
Past:
During my master's thesis research ( titled: The effects of basal resource manipulation on the nutritional state and fatty acid profiles of freshwater crustacean zooplankton). I investigated the implications of the ‘climate sensitive’ landscape gradients of dissolved organic carbon and phosphorus on the nutritional state of aquatic organisms. Focusing on essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) of crustacean zooplankton communities spanning the heterogeneous Laurentian region of northern Québec, I will give insight to aquatic ecosystem health in a rapidly changing environment.
Utilizing large in-situ mesocosms, and nutrient additions, I was able to replicate multiple environmental conditions to a single lake community and measure responses such as fatty acid profiles, community structure, and body size. The project was created in a time series to show progression of the community during the summer of 2012. I would like to give special thanks to Marilyne Robidoux, Station de Biologie des Laurentides (http://www.sbl.umontreal.ca/) , and the GRIL-UQÀM team for their hard work and perseverance.
Supervised by Dr. Alison Derry at UQÀM, and co-supervised by Dr. Michael Arts of Ryerson University. This research is done in collaboration with Dr. Martin Kainz of the WasserCluster-Lunz (http://www.wcl.ac.at) and the GRIL-UQÀM (http://www.gril.uqam.ca/Accueil.html).