Biodiversity of Freshwater Mussel Assemblages and their Associated Macroinvertebrate Fauna in Streams of the Ouachita Uplands

9870092 Vaughn北美溪流中的淡水贻贝（双壳亚纲：联合科）动物群是世界上最多样化的，但受到高度威胁，并以惊人的速度减少。由于贻贝在河流生态系统的功能中起着至关重要的作用，整个动物群的灾难性减少的后果不仅仅是物种的消失。因此，目前贻贝物种的减少也代表了现存水生动物重要栖息地和食物资源的丧失，并可能改变许多北美河流的生态系统功能。此外，可能有底栖大型无脊椎动物与贻贝群共同进化，特别依赖于贻贝群，因此可能也在减少。位于美国阿肯色州中西部和俄克拉荷马州东南部的瓦希托高地是北美淡水生物多样性最后的据点之一，可能是少数几个可能保存完整贻贝群的地区之一。淡水贻贝和相关的底栖大型无脊椎动物将在瓦希托高地的主要河流系统中进行为期三个野外季节的调查。贻贝和底栖大型无脊椎动物将在每个地点进行定量采样，并测量环境参数。贻贝和底栖大型无脊椎动物凭证标本将存放在俄克拉何马州自然历史博物馆和伊利诺伊州自然历史调查（小龙虾）。贻贝组织样本将被存放在美国地质调查局李敦科学中心遗传组织库和德克萨斯公园和野生动物心脏山研究站。贻贝和底栖大型无脊椎动物的数据将在互联网上提供。收集的数据将适用于生物学中的许多概念问题，其中许多问题具有重要的保护意义。此外，这些数据将为未来监测这些地区提供基线，特别是在应对即将到来的斑马贻贝入侵时。

9870092 Vaughn The freshwater mussel (Bivalvia: Unionidae) fauna of North American streams is the most diverse in the world, but is highly threatened and declining at an alarming rate. The consequences of this catastrophic decline of an entire fauna go beyond the loss of species, because mussels serve critical roles in the functioning of riverine ecosystems. Thus, the current decline in mussel species also represents a loss of critical habitat and food resources for the remaining aquatic fauna, and may alter the ecosystem functioning in many North American rivers. In addition, there are likely benthic macroinvertebrates that have coevolved with mussel assemblages, are specifically dependent on them, and thus may also be declining. The Ouachita Uplands, in central and western Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma, U.S., represent one of the last strongholds of freshwater biodiversity in North America and may represent one of the few areas where conservation of an intact mussel fauna may be possible. Freshwater mussels and associated benthic macroinvertebrates will be surveyed in the major river systems of the Ouachita Uplands over a period of three field seasons. Mussels and benthic macroinvertebrates will be quantitatively sampled and environmental parameters will be measured at each site. Mussel and benthic macroinvertebrate voucher specimens will be deposited in the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History and the Illinois Natural History Survey (crayfish). Mussel tissue samples will be deposited with the U.S.G.S. Leetown Science Center genetic tissue repository and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Heart of the Hills Research Station. Mussel and benthic macroinvertebrate data will made available on the internet. The data collected will be applicable to a multitude of conceptual problems in biology, many of which have important conservation implications. In addition, the data will provide a baseline for monitoring these areas in the future, particularly in response to the impending zebra mussel invasion.