Virginia Project
Mussel reestablishment as a best management practice: scaling their nutrient effects from the individual to the stream
July 2022 - June 2027
Personnel
Participating Agencies
- The Resource Protection Group, Inc.
We will quantify ecological and biogeochemical effects of
reintroducing native unionid mussels into two restored urban headwater streams in Reston,
Virginia - Snakeden Branch and The Glade. A team of experts will provide a holistic and practical understanding of the outcomes of mussel restoration with respect to ecological processes, water quality, and biological communities. We will measure and analyze features of individual mussels, mussel beds, and stream reaches to describe the role mussels play in stream ecosystem function. We will document species-specific responses of reintroduced mussels and their effectiveness in assimilating nutrients and changing physical and chemical conditions of the sediments to facilitate nitrogen removal via denitrification. Findings will inform managers on the capacity of mussels to improve water quality in urban streams and provide an ecological basis for evaluating ecosystem services provided by mussel beds.