May 2023 - 35

Freshwater mussel life cycle
Host fish grows
parasitic mussel
larvae in its gills
for several weeks
while they mature.
The glochidia fall out of
host fish's gills as tiny
mussels when they're
ready. If they land in the
right spot, they may live.
Specific fish host
attacks female mussel
lure and the female
releases glochidia.
Fertilized females
display a portion of
their mantle as a lure
to attract host fish
Upon reaching sexual
maturity, adult-male mussels
release sperm into the water
where females intake the
sperm and are fertilized.
(Illustrated by Patrick Owen/WGFD)
HISTORY OF MUSSELS AND THREATS
North America has the greatest diversity of
mussels in the world. They were historically
an important food source for Native Americans,
and tools and jewelry were made from
their shells.
They're also one of North America's most
imperiled animals.
As with many threatened animals, mussels
face a laundry list of issues beginning
with their use in the country's early button
industry.
In the late 1800s Americans realized mussels,
with their shiny, colorful and often iridescent
shells, made excellent buttons. For more
than half a century almost all the buttons
made in this country were punched from
mussel shells.
By the 1930s plastic began to replace mussels
for buttons, but the damage was done.
Compounding the overharvest were dramatic
changes to water systems from damming and
draining to pollution. Unlike many fish that
can seek refuge in deep pools of water, if a
stretch of river dries mussels often die.
They also suffer from lack of access to their
host species. The western pearlshell historically
relied solely on cutthroat trout as host
fish in Wyoming, though they're also able to
use introduced brown trout as a host fish.
The giant floater, on the other hand, can use
several native species as hosts including the
creek chub and white sucker, but also will use
a dozen or more nonnative species including
bluegill, crappie, common carp and channel
catfish. But if those fish are cut off from certain
stretches of water, mussels won't be able
to reproduce.
For some species our awareness came too
late. Evidence suggests Wyoming may have
had nine native mussel species at one time,
but the only evidence left of black sandshell
and pink papershell mussels are a few shells.
For other species it's not too late. Biologists
like Tronstad, Siddons and University of Wyoming
graduate student Samantha Poratti are
trying to uncover mussel secrets to see what
can be done to bring them back.
Wyoming Wildlife | 35
Invasive mussels need our
awareness to keep them
out. Native mussels need
our awareness to keep
them from going extinct.

May 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2023

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