(Press-News.org) CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Researchers have transported two endangered freshwater mussel species from Pennsylvania to Illinois in an attempt to re-establish their populations in the western part of the Ohio River Basin.
The team of biologists, led by Jeremy Tiemann, of the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), traveled to the site of a bridge-replacement project on Pennsylvania's Allegheny River to collect northern riffleshell (Epioblasma rangiana) and clubshell (Pleurobema clava) mussels. The INHS is a division of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois.
The two mussel species historically had inhabited the Ohio River Basin, an area that stretches from Illinois to Pennsylvania and New York to Kentucky. The 2- to 3-inch-long northern riffleshells and their larger clubshell counterparts make their homes three or more inches beneath the surface of the gravel layer they live in, Tiemann said.
There are more than 30,000 individual mussels of these species living under Pennsylvania's Hunter Station Bridge. The bridge-replacement project brings with it the potential for huge losses of the already endangered species, he said.
Mussels reproduce by attaching their juveniles to certain species of fish, so finding a suitable habitat for them can be a challenge. The northern riffleshell was "last seen alive in Illinois about a hundred years ago," Tiemann said. There are sites on the Vermillion River in Illinois that serve as the perfect backdrop for the re-establishment of populations in the species' historical range, he said.
"It is a win-win situation for everybody," Tiemann said. "We save the mussels and get a new population here in Illinois."
The team collected the mussels over a two-day period in late August, and then brought them to their lab in Illinois to be tagged with a "microchip similar to what you put in your dog or cat. (It's) the size of a large grain of rice," Tiemann said.
Last year, the group collected and transported 1,000 northern riffleshells and 200 clubshells. The team has seen an 80 percent survivorship within this group.
This year, they transported 750 clubshell and 250 northern riffleshell mussels.
The benefit of the project stretches beyond simply removing these species from the endangered list. Mussels have "their own little niche within the ecosystem and food webs" of their habitats, Tiemann said. Their shells provide a home for many fish and insects. They also are effective biofilters that help clean the water.
"A group of mussels in a tight area can filter as much water as a treatment plant," Tiemann said. "Hopefully we will one day be able to pinpoint the exact monetary value of these Vermillion River mussels so policymakers can translate the science into dollars."
For now, Tiemann is happy to see the restoration making waves among enthusiastic farmers, government wildlife agencies and concerned citizens.
"A lot of people like to be outside, and this is one thing we can do to restore this scenic river to its pre-settlement condition," Tiemann said.
INFORMATION:
Researchers move endangered mussels to save them
2013-09-12
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2 NASA satellites analyze Hurricane Humberto's clouds and rainfall
2013-09-12
VIDEO:
In this satellite flyby animation, NASA's TRMM satellite passed over Humberto on Sept. 10 and measured rainfall rates of up to 2 inches/50 mm per hour (red) in the large...
Click here for more information.
Two NASA satellites passed over the hurricane in the Eastern Atlantic on Sept. 10 gathering information about the environment of Hurricane Humberto. NASA's Aqua satellite gathered infrared and visible data on Humberto's clouds while NASA's TRMM satellite measured ...
Plants in space: A novel method for fixing plant tissue samples maximizes time, resources, and data
2013-09-12
At work on the International Space Station, researchers studying plant and cell growth in space encountered a challenge. Imaging revealed interesting spaceflight-associated root morphologies. They needed to fix the tissues for further study back on Earth, but conventional fixation methods require separate fixatives depending on whether the sample is intended for molecular or morphological study. If the scientists wanted to study how spaceflight affected patterns of gene expression central to morphological patterns of cell growth, they needed a fixation method that would ...
The eyes have it
2013-09-12
More than one billion people worldwide rely on fish as an important source of animal protein, states the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. And while fish provide slightly over 7 per cent of animal protein in North America, in Asia they represent about 23 per cent of consumption.
Humans consume low levels of methylmercury by eating fish and seafood. Methylmercury compounds specifically target the central nervous system, and among the many effects of their exposure are visual disturbances, which were previously thought to be solely due to methylmercury-induced ...
Study provides insights on protecting world's poor from climate change
2013-09-12
The worst impacts of climate change on the world's poorest fishing communities can likely be avoided by careful management of the local environment and investing in the diversification of options for local people, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society and James Cook University.
Climate change is already putting pressure on fishers who depend on nature for their livelihoods. In a new study, scientists found large differences in the potential to adapt based on the local mixture of social and environmental characteristics, requiring a variety of management approaches ...
Health care safety net catches suburban poor
2013-09-12
CHICAGO --- A new study shows significant health benefits for uninsured people living under the federal poverty level in the suburbs when they receive access to primary care.
Uninsured residents in a suburban collar county of Chicago reported a big improvement in their health status and increased their preventive care and screenings after one year of access to primary care, reports Northwestern Medicine research.
The study illustrates the potential benefits of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation and a promising solution to accessible health care for what are ...
Researchers identify ancient ancestor of tulip tree line
2013-09-12
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The modern-day tulip tree, state tree of Indiana as well as Kentucky and Tennessee, can trace its lineage back to the time of the dinosaurs, according to newly published research by an Indiana University paleobotanist and a Russian botanist.
The tulip tree, Liriodendron tulipfera, has been considered part of the magnolia family. But David Dilcher of Indiana University Bloomington and Mikhail S. Romanov of the N.V. Tsitsin Main Botanical Garden in Moscow show that it is closely related to fossil plant specimens from the Lower Cretaceous period.
Their ...
Everyday sadists take pleasure in others' pain
2013-09-12
Most of the time, we try to avoid inflicting pain on others — when we do hurt someone, we typically experience guilt, remorse, or other feelings of distress. But for some, cruelty can be pleasurable, even exciting. New research suggests that this kind of everyday sadism is real and more common than we might think.
Two studies led by psychological scientist Erin Buckels of the University of British Columbia revealed that people who score high on a measure of sadism seem to derive pleasure from behaviors that hurt others, and are even willing to expend extra effort to make ...
Central mechanism underlying electroacupuncture effects visceral hypersensitivity
2013-09-11
Irritable bowel syndrome patients extensively suffer from chronic visceral hypersensitivity, with involvement of all levels of the brain-gut axis, as well as various neurotransmitters. Chronic visceral hypersensitivity can occur in the periphery, spinal cord and central nervous system, which has been shown to be the main pathophysiological mechanism underlying abdominal pain in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Acupuncture at Tianshu (ST25) and Shangjuxu (ST37) has been reported to relieve visceral hypersensitivity for irritable bowel syndrome. Xinxin Guo and colleagues ...
Anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombogenic effects of atorvastatin in acute ischemic stroke
2013-09-11
The population of northeastern China has a high incidence of ischemic stroke. Previous studies have shown that intracranial large-artery atherosclerosis is one of the main causes of ischemic stroke, and that the mechanisms are related to inflammation and thrombosis of the affected arteries. A recent study by Lianqiu Min and colleagues from Liaoning Medical University observed the effects of atorvastatin treatment in 89 patients from northeastern China with acute ischemic stroke caused by intracranial large-artery atherosclerosis by measuring changes in the levels of markers ...
The mechanism of astragaloside IV promoting sciatic nerve regeneration
2013-09-11
Astragaloside IV, the main component of the traditional Chinese medicine astragalus membra-naceus, has been shown to inhibit inflammation, oxidation, and apoptosis, and exerts immu-noregulatory effects. Xiaohong Zhang and colleagues from School of Pharmacutical Sciences, Jilin University investigated whether astragaloside IV could promote the repair of injured sciatic nerve. Denervated sciatic nerve of mice was subjected to anastomosis. The mice were intraperitoneally injected with 10, 5, 2.5 mg/kg astragaloside IV per day for 8 consecutive days. The researchers found that ...