Poster Details
COMPARING SAMPLING METHODS FOR FRESHWATER MUSSELS IN CENTRAL TEXAS
There are 15 state-threatened freshwater mussels in Texas, 6 of which are candidates of federal listing as endangered. Effective survey guidelines are vital in facilitating the collection of distribution data for mussels. The objectives of this study were (1) to evaluate the relative effort and effectiveness of three different survey methods (timed searches, transect, and adaptive cluster method), and (2) to examine how the effectiveness varies between 6 sites with different habitat features in rivers of Central Texas. Preliminary results showed that differences between survey methods can vary considerably between sites. For example, at a bedrock dominated site in the Llano River, the density detected with the adaptive cluster method was considerable larger (0.40.2 ind/m2) compared to the transect method (0.020.02 ind/m2). In contrast, at a gravel dominated site in the San Saba River, the density found with both the adaptive cluster and transect methods were rather similar (3.30.2 ind/m2 and 2.90.4 ind/m2 respectively). In accordance with previous findings by other studies, the highest species richness and number of mussels was consistently found with timed searches.
Brittney Sanchez (Primary Presenter/Author), Texas State University, bs1468@txstate.edu;
Astrid Schwalb ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Texas State University, schwalb@txstate.edu;