Experimental study of the effects of mussel aggregation characteristics on total suspended solid uptake by modeled freshwater North American mussels

North American unionids provide a wide set of ecosystem benefits to the streams and rivers they inhabit, including purifying the water column through their filter-feeding capabilities. Currently, unionid populations are facing population decreases due to anthropogenic factors such as pollution and invasive species introduction, all of which affect mussel aggregations and their effects on the turbulence of its water stream, as well as the amount of suspended solid uptake the mussels filter in. To test these implications, artificial mussels were created imitating the species Amblema plicata, and placed within a recirculating sediment flume. The effect of mussel siphoning on flow and filtration was incorporated into the experiment using a peristaltic pump with tubing acting as the exhalent and inhalant of the mussels, and arranged as it would occur in the natural environment. Water samples were taken throughout set points in each run to capture the amount of total suspended solids captured. Results of this experiment can help inform mussel restoration and help assess added ecosystem value from freshwater mussels through a better understanding of the relation between the removal of suspended sediment and the spatial characteristics of mussel aggregations.