Athan Anderson

Research Interests: Being among the most endangered groups of animals in North America, freshwater mussels are a critical subject of investigation and restoration because of their important functions in water filtration and as bioindicators of environmental change.  My research will focus on improving propagation of mussels by rearing them in a series of controlled enclosures (mesocosms), while controlling nutrient intake and flow conditions, and then recording mussel health and growth. I will compare mussel health in mesocosms to lab reared mussels using pond water.  I will replicate methods from above experiments in a healthy, natural stream ecosystem to increase success of mussel propagation.