Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program:
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Staff Member

Kayla Nicole Key

PhD
Email: knkey42@students.tntech.edu

Biography

Kayla received her BS from University of Tennessee Martin in 2012, a MS from University of Texas Tyler in 2015, and began her Ph.D. research in Fall 2015. Kayla's interests broadly involve landscape ecology, conservation, and management. Her project is part of a long term mussel conservation program in Missouri working with Missouri Department of Conservation. Her focus is conducting a conservation assessment and developing a long term monitoring program for mussel assemblages in the Meramec River Basin.

Research Publications Publication Date
Key, K.N., A.E. Rosenberger, G.A. Lindner, K. Bouska, and S.E. McMurray. 2021. Riverscape-Scale Modeling of Fundamentally Suitable Habitat for Mussel Assemblages in an Ozark River System, Missouri. Freshwater Mollusk Biology and Conservation 24: 43-58. | Abstract October 2021
Hartman, J.N., A.E. Rosenberger, K. Key, and G. Lindner. 2023. Assessing potential habitat for freshwater mussels by transferring a habitat suitability model within the Ozark Ecoregion, Missouri. Freshwater Mollusk Biology and Conservation 26:32-44. | Abstract | Download March 2023
Bouska, K., A.E. Rosenberger, S.E. McMurray, G. Lindner, and K. Key. 2018. State-level freshwater mussel programs: current status and a research framework to aid in mussel management and conservation. Fisheries DOI:10.1002/fsh.10106. (IP-076251) May 2018
Project Completion Date
Understanding the responses of freshwater systems to ongoing restoration in West Tennessee rivers January 2030
A comprehensive understanding of mussel populations in the Duck River, Tennessee for their conservation and to establish ecological flows for ongoing water withdrawals and water management January 2030
Creation of a Statewide Freshwater Mussel Database for the State of Tennessee January 2030
A re-survey of the mussel fauna and a habitat assessment of the Wolf River, Tennessee January 2024
Assessment and Modeling of the Freshwater Mussel Distributions and Habitat Preferences in the Hatchie River, Tennessee January 2026
Update to Tennessee Status Assessments and Recovery Plans for Listed Mussel Species January 2025
A strategic path forward for mussel conservation in the state of Missouri July 2021
A spatial assessment of the status and risks to mussel concentrations in the Meramec drainage June 2019
Presentations Presentation Date
Womble, K.I., A.E. Rosenberger, and K.Key. 2024. Expansion of a comprehensive freshwater mussel database for Tennessee: Compiling mussel assemblage information for West Tennessee drainages. West Tennessee River Basin Authority Water Resource Symposium. Jackson, TN. February 2024. February 2024
Sallack, K., K.N. Key, K.I. Womble, and A.E. Rosenberger. 2024. Freshwater mussels of the ​Hatchie ​River: ​distribution, composition, and abundance. Poster Presentation for the West Tennessee River Basin Authority Water Resource Symposium. Jackson, TN. February 2024. (Abstract not published) February 2024
Rosenberger, A.E., S. McMurray, K. Bouska, G. Lindner, K.Key, M. Schrum, and L. Lueckenhoff. 2018. Towards a Statewide, Strategic, and Spatially-Explicit Mussel Conservation Assessment and Monitoring Program – our vision. Oral Presentation to Tennessee Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting, Knoxville, TN. January 2018
Rosenberger, A.E., S. McMurray, K. Bouska, G. Lindner, K. Key, J. Holtswarth, K. Womble, M. Schrum, and L. Lueckenhoff. 2020. Towards a statewide, strategic, and spatially-explicit mussel conservation assessment and monitoring program - our vision. Virtual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, September, 2020. September 2020
Rosenberger, A.E., K.I. Womble, K. Sallack, J. Fetters, K. Key, G. Dinkins, D. Hua. 2023. Current Status of Mussel Research in the Rosenberger Lab at TN Tech. Tennessee Endangered Mollusk Committee Meeting: Crossville, TN. February 2023. (Abstract not published) February 2023
Rosenberger, A.E., K. Bouska, S. McMurray, G. Lindner, K. Key, M. Schrum, and L. Lueckenhoff. 2016. Towards a strategic and spatially-explicit mussel conservation assessment and monitoring program in Missouri - our vision. Invited Presentation for the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting, Kansas City, Missouri. August, 2016. August 2016
Lindner, G., K. Key, and A. Rosenberger. 2017. Using hydrogeomorphic variables for habitat modeling of unionid mussel concentrations in Missouri Ozark rivers. The Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society Annual Meeting, Clevland, OH, March 2017. March 2017
Lindner, G., K. Key, K. Bouska, and A.E. Rosenberger. Derivation of hydrogeomorphic variables for fundamental niche modeling of unionid mussel concentrations in Missouri Ozark Rivers. Oral Presentation for the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting, Kansas City, Missouri, 2016. August 2016
Lindner, G., K. Bouska, K. Key, and A. Rosenberger. 2016. Maxent modeling for Missouri Ozark unionids with macroscale hydro-geomorphic variables. Seminar, Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, Grand Rapids, MI, January 2016. January 2016
Kumetis, T., K. Wheeler, R. Paine, K. Key, and A. Rosenberger. 2024. New Vs. Old: Comparing eDNA metabarcoding with conventional electrofishing sampling to monitor fishes in headwaters of Western Tennessee. West Tennessee River Basin Authority Water Resource Symposium. Jackson, Tennessee. February 2024. February 2024
Kumetis, T., K. Wheeler, R. Paine, K. Key, and A. Rosenberger. 2024. New Vs. Old: Comparing eDNA metabarcoding with conventional electrofishing sampling to monitor fishes in headwaters of Western Tennessee. Poster Presentation for the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting, Chattanooga, Tennessee. February 2024. February 2024
Kumetis, T., K. Wheeler, R. Paine, K. Key, and A. Rosenberger. 2023. New Vs. Old: Comparing eDNA metabarcoding with conventional electrofishing sampling to monitor fishes in headwaters of Western Tennessee. SEAFWA Annual Conference, Atlanta, Georgia. October 2023. October 2023
Kumetis, T., K. Wheeler, R. Paine, K. Key, and A. Rosenberger. 2023. New Vs. Old: Comparing eDNA metabarcoding with conventional electrofishing sampling to monitor fishes in headwaters of Western Tennessee. Poster presentation for the Southeastern Fisheries Council Annual Meeting, Chattanooga, Tennessee. November 2023. November 2023
Key, K., G. Lindner, K. Bouska, and A. Rosenberger. 2017. Generation of a fundamental niche model for diverse mussel assemblages within the northeastern Ozark region of Missouri. Missouri Natural Resources Conference, Osage Beach, MO, February 2017. February 2017
Key, K., G. Lindner, K. Bouska, and A. Rosenberger. 2016. Using maxent to generate a fundamental niche model for diverse mussel assemblages within the northeastern Ozark region of Missouri. Missouri Natural Resource Conference, Osage Beach, MO. February, 2016. February 2016
Key, K., G. Lindner, A. Rosenberger, and K. Bouska. 2017. A hierarchical approach to mussel conservation: from niche modeling to field monitoring. Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society Annual Meeting, Cleveland, Ohio, March 2017. March 2017
Key, K., G. Linder, and A.E. Rosenberger. 2016. A tool for identifying potential threats to species on a landscape level: An example geared towards endangered freshwater mussels in Missouri. Organization of Fish and Wildlife Information Managers Annual Meeting. Ponca State Park, NE. October, 2016. October 2016
Key, K., A. Rosenberger, and C. Krause. 2017. A user-friendly tool to identify potential threats to species on a landscape level. Oral presentation at 2017 Organization of Fisheries and Wildlife Information Managers Conference, Chattanooga, Tennessee. Invited. October 2017
Key, K., A. Rosenberger, G. Lindner, and K. Bouska. 2017. Using maxent to generate a fundamental niche model for diverse mussel assemblages within the northeastern Ozark region of Missouri. Poster Presentation, School of Natural Resources Research Day, May 2017. May 2017
Key, K., A. Rosenberger, G. Lindner, and K. Bouska. 2017. Hierarchical approach to mussel conservation: from niche modeling to field monitoring. Oral presentation, American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting, August 2017. August 2017
Key, K. and A.E. Rosenberger. A strategic, efficient, and spatially-explicit monitoring program for freshwater mussel communities: a case study in the Meramec Basin in Missouri. Oral Presentation for the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting, Little Rock, Arkansas. February, 2020. February 2020
Key, K. and A.E. Rosenberger. 2019. Spatial variation in composition of mussel communities in relation to modeled habitat suitability. Annual meeting of the Tennessee Chapter of AFS, Chatanooga, TN, March, 2019. March 2019
Key, K. and A.E. Rosenberger. 2019. Spatial variation in composition of mussel communities in relation to modeled habitat suitability in the Meramec Drainage of Missouri. Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX. March, 2019. March 2019
Key, K. and A.E. Rosenberger. 2019. Spatial variation in composition of mussel communities in relation to modeled habitat suitability in the Meramec Drainage of Missouri. Missouri Natural Resources Conference, Osage Beach, MO. February 2019
Key, K. and A. Rosenberger. 2018. Spatial variation in composition of mussel communities in relation to modeled habitat suitability in the Meramec Drainage of Missouri. Oral presentation to the American Fisheries Society, Atlantic City, NJ, August 2018. August 2018
Kelley, L., K.N. Key, and A.E. Rosenberger. 2018. Life history strategies for freshwater mussels along longitudinal gradients in the Meramec River, Missouri. Poster presentation at 2018 Southeastern Fishes Council, McCormick, South Carolina. November 2018
Holtswarth, J.N., A.E. Rosenberger, K.N. Key, and G. Lindner. 2019. Assessing the transferability of a freshwater mussel fundamental niche model within the Ozark Ecoregion, Missouri. Oral presentation (invited), Organization of Fisheries and Wildlife Information Managers Annual Meeting, West Virginia. October, 2019. October 2019
Holtswarth, J.N., A.E. Rosenberger, K.N. Key, and G. Lindner. 2018. Do freshwater mussel beds associate with lateral channel stability and channel controls? Oral presentation (invited). Organization of Fish and Wildlife Information Managers Annual Meeting, Portland, Oregon. October, 2018. October 2018
Holtswarth, J.N., A.E. Rosenberger, G. Lindner, and K. Key. 2019. Assessing the transferability of a freshwater mussel fundamental niche model within the Ozark Ecoregion, Missouri. Tennessee American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting, Knoxville, TN. March 2019
Holtswarth, J.N., A.E. Rosenberger, K.N. Key, G. Lindner. 2019. Assessing the transferability of a freshwater mussel fundamental niche model within the Ozark Ecoregion, Missouri. Master’s Seminar to the Deparment of Biology, Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville, TN. July, 2019 July 2019
Holtswarth, J.N., A.E. Rosenberger, K.N. Key, G. Lindner. 2019. Assessing the transferability of a freshwater mussel fundamental niche model within the Ozark Ecoregion, Missouri. Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, April, 2019. April 2019
Bouska, K., A.E. Rosenberger, K. Key, J. Holtswarth, G. Lindner, and S. McMurray. 2020. Development and implementation of a strategic mussel conservation assessment in Missouri. Midwest Fish and Wildlife Resources Conference, Springfield Illinois. January, 2020. January 2020