February 2, 2024
February 2, 2024
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Freshwater mussel conservation in Minnesota: 30+ years of research
Freshwater mussel conservation in Minnesota: 30+ years of research
Dr. Dan Hornbach
Dr. Dan Hornbach
John S. Holl Professor of Environmental Studies, Macalester College
Abstract
Abstract
Freshwater mussels are important members of stream systems acting as ecosystem engineers and providing a variety of ecosystem services. They are among the most endangered organisms in freshwater systems. In my presentation, I plan to give an overview of several studies that I’ve been involved in during my time at Macalester College. These include: 1. A long-term monitoring study in the St. Croix Watershed; 2. A study examining potential agricultural impacts by comparing populations in a tributary of the St. Croix River and tributaries to the Minnesota River; 3. A laboratory study on the impacts of suspended sediment on mussel behavior; 4. Life history variation among mussels related to stream size; and 5. The impacts of small dams on mussels. The results of these studies have implications for the conservation of mussels in Minnesota.
Biosketch
Biosketch
Dan Hornbach is the John S. Holl Professor of Environmental Studies at Macalester College. He received his BS and MS in Biology from the University of Dayton and his Ph.D. in Zoology from Miami University (Oxford, OH). After spending 4 years as a visiting Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Virginia, he moved to Macalester College in St. Paul, MN.
He is the author or co-author of over 70 peer-reviewed articles dealing with freshwater mussels, fingernail clams, and ecosystem metabolism in streams and ponds. He has had ~100 Macalester undergraduates conduct research with him and many of his articles are co-authored with these students. He has had research funding from several federal and state agencies, including the MN DNR, National Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, USGS, US EPA, and others. Currently, he is collaborating with researchers from the MN DNR and MN PCA to examine the factors that influence the distribution and abundance of mussels throughout the state.
Dan is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Freshwater Ecology and an Associate Editor for the journal Freshwater Mollusk Biology and Conservation. He is a member of the Society for Freshwater Science, the Global Lakes Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON), the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society, and the Ecology at Education Network (EREN). In 2017 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society.
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