NSF DEB-0211010: Effects of species composition and environmental context on redundancy within a functional group: a test with freshwater mussels. This project, funded by the National Science Foundation, is examining the ecological role that mussels play in streams and how roles may be influenced by mussel assemblage structure and stream conditions, such as flooding and drought. In this study we are using a combination of field and mesocosm experiments.

NSF DEB-0608247: DISSERTATION RESEARCH: How does community structure affect ecosystem function? An integrative approach linking physiological performance and species interactions. This NSF DDIG is funding PhD student Daniel Spooner's dissertation research. His research is examining how community structure and environmental context interact to govern the ecological services provided by communities. Using freshwater unionid mussels as a model system, the study integrates physiological, community and ecosystem ecology to ask how variation in both community structure (mussel species dominance) and environment (temperature regime) affect ecosystem processes in streams.

NSF DEB-9870092: Biodiversity of freshwater mussel assemblages and associated invertebrates in streams of the Ouachita Uplands. This project, funded by the National Science Foundation, is documenting the biodiversity of mussels and associated macroinvertebrates in rivers throughout the Ouachita Uplands of eastern Oklahoma and Western Arkansas. This study uses a comparative approach to examine the influence of mussels on the distribution and abundance of other organisms.

Reproductive biology of freshwater mussels in the Little River, Oklahoma. This study is collecting daa on mussel reproduction cycles and determining how reproduction is related to environmental cues including temperature, photoperiod, and food availability. Experiments are planned to exmine how fertilization success may be influenced by water temperature and flow. The primary person conducting this project is PhD student Heather Galbraith.

Surveys for rare mussel species and determination of hydrological characteristics of mussel habitat in southeastern Oklahoma. In this study, funded by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, we are measuring and estimating complex hydraulic conditions of mussel sites in the Little River to determine how these parameters can be used characterize mussel species habitat. We are conducting mesocosm experiments to determine how common freshwater mussel species modify habitat, making it appropriate for rare freshwater mussel species. We also are conducting field surveys for rare mussel species in the Little River, including the recently discovered federally endangered Winged Mapleleaf, Quadrula fragosa. The primary person conducting this project is PhD student Daniel Allen.

Assessment of the nutrional status of select unionid species cross a broad geographic area. We are collaborating with USGS biologists Teresa Newton and S. Jerrine Nichols in a pilot study to determine how the nutritional status of several common mussel species varies across species, geographic area and environmental context. These data will be used to determine critical dietary needs and appropriate response variables for examining these questions.

Physiological determination of mussel sensitivity to water management practices in the Kiamichi River. This project, funded by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, is using field and laboratory measures of physiological rates and tissue biochemistry to predict mussel responses to stressors such as drought prior to the occurrence of large mortality events. The primary person conducting this project is PhD student Daniel Spooner.

Arkansia wheeleri monitoring in the Kiamichi River. This project, funded by
the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, is documenting the locations
and population size of a population of federally endangered mussels. The primary investigators on this project are PhD students Heather Galbraith and Daniel Spooner.