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Unionid Distribution Within Nearshore Portions of 10 Streams in Northwest Ohio Trevor Prescott Cleveland State University Master of Science Candidate
Unionid Distribution Within Nearshore Portions of 10
Streams in Northwest Ohio
Trevor Prescott
Cleveland State University
Master of Science Candidate
Nearshore?
Estuaries/Flooded River Mouths Attempted to get as close to the lake as
possible Private property
Businesses / Residential Other access points
Methods
Streams
Western portion Cedar Creek, Turtle Creek, Toussaint
River Central portion
Yellow Swale, South Creek, Raccoon Creek
Eastern portion Plum Brook, Old Woman Creek,
Cranberry Creek, Chappel Creek
Cedar Creek
Small riparian zone, incised banks ~ 10 – 30 feet
Surrounded by agriculture 50%+ canopy cover CPOM, garbage, Corbicula Generally hard, cobble substrate 3 – 5 feet deep
Cedar Creek Results
Species Alive Dead
Lasmigona complanata 2 1
Lasmigona compressa 0 1
Leptodea fragilis 1 1
Ligumia nasuta 0 5
Pyganodon grandis 0 12
Toxolasma parvum 0 3
Turtle Creek
Very small to no riparian zone, banks ~ 6 feet higher than stream
10 feet of riparian at most on northern bank Agriculture to south, marina to north No canopy cover Other life observed Very soft substrate 1 – 6 feet deep, wide open stream
Turtle Creek Results
Species Alive Dead
Leptodea fragilis 2 9
Potamilus alatus 0 2
Pyganodon grandis 14 18
Quadrula pustulosa 0 1
Quadrula quadrula 42 10
Toxolasma parvum 1 0
Toussaint River
Similar to Turtle Creek but bigger Surrounded by variety of landscapes
Recovering riparian, residential, agriculture
Wide river, slow current No canopy cover Soft, muddy substrate
Toussaint River Results
Species Alive Dead
Amblema plicata 1 2
Leptodea fragilis 1 1
Obliquaria reflexa 6 5
Potamilus alatus 0 2
Pyganodon grandis 3 12
Quadrula quadrula 32 13
Strophitus undulatus 0 1
Toxolasma parvum 2 2
Utterbackia imbecillis 9 1
Yellow Swale
Established, larger riparian zone Residential areas outside of riparian Canopy cover near banks Wide stream, slow current Soft muddy substrate with pockets of
sand
Yellow Swale Results
Species Alive Dead
Lasmigona complanata 1 4
Pyganodon grandis 27 77
Quadrula quadrula 1 0
Toxolasma parvum 5 19
Utterbackia imbecillis 0 2
Uniomerus tetralasmus 1 3
South Creek North = established riparian zone of
trees and shrubs. Muddier substrate than southern portion,
not as muddy as Turtle or Toussaint Diverse wildlife Canopy cover near banks
South = Riparian of cattails and grass 50/50 sand and mud substrate No canopy cover
Residential outside of riparian zone
South Creek Results
Species Alive Dead
Lasmigona complanata 3 2
Leptodea fragilis 12 5
Pyganodon grandis 37 31
Quadrula quadrula 5 0
Toxolasma parvum 0 5
Utterbackia imbecillis 0 7
Raccoon Creek
Near/Under route 6 bridge Area of mud and deposition (70/30 mud
to sand) To the north
90 – 100% canopy cover Similar to Cedar Creek Allochthonous input Hard substrate Thinner stream
Raccoon Creek Results
Species Alive Dead
Lasmigona complanata 10 2
Pyganodon grandis 3 3
Strophitus undulatus 0 3
Plum Brook
Healthy, wide, gently sloping riparian on banks
Part of Erie co. metroparks 3 substrate types
Hard, compact mud Soft mud, vegetation covered Soft mud, free of vegetation
Canopy cover near banks
Plum Broom Results
Species Alive Dead
Leptodea fragilis 7 0
Pyganodon grandis 11 0
Toxolasma parvum 13 3
Utterbackia imbecillis 2 0
Old Woman Creek
Gently sloping, wide riparian on banks No agriculture near preserve, only
residential Canopy cover near banks Soft muddy substrate Healthy stream with diverse wildlife
Old Woman Creek Results
Species Alive Dead
Leptodea fragilis 0 3
Pyganodon grandis 3 11
Quadrula quadrula 2 1
Toxolasma parvum 1 1
Utterbackia imbecillis 0 2
Cranberry Creek
Generally thin riparian zone Residential/agricultural to the upstream Marina downstream Culverted under route 6
More compact, thin stream Semi-compact, muddy substrate
“Medium softness”
Cranberry Creek Results
Species Alive Dead
Lasmigona complanata 5 1
Pyganodon grandis 9 2
Quadrula quadrula 1 0
Toxolasma parvum 1 1
Chappel Creek
Thin to no riparian Shrubs, residential lawns backed up to
creek upstream Parking lot, thin riparian downstream Variance in depth
Very little to no canopy cover Unique substrate
Cobble, gravel over hard, muddy substrate
No mussels – live or dead
Water Chemistry Data
Stream Chloride Turbidity Alkalinity Nitrite Silicate Sulfate P
(ppm) (JTU) (ppm) (ppb) (ppm) (ppm) (ppb)
Cedar 107.3 17.7 185 2.0 7.606 65.4 109
Turtle 32.3 92.4 161.9 5.8 3.213 56.7 312
Toussaint 74.4 68.2 190.4 5.2 2.425 98.1 265
Yellow 39.6 55.1 206.4 2.8 5.329 60.0 137
South 50.9 51.3 206.4 0.5 3.372 804.6 233
Racoon 116.4 21.6 187.1 22.9 1.238 786.4 145
Plum 61.1 21 117.7 0.8 0.264 40.0 127
OWC 64.3 30.5 132.8 0.6 2.096 26.4 112
Cranberry 35.5 17.7 119.8 29.5 41.0 925 1504
Chappel 62.9 23.3 150.1 1.2 35.9 15.3 89
Generalities
Healthy tendencies Wider riparian Wider stream (bankfull width) Less incision on banks Less canopy cover Less agriculture in close proximity
Future Work/Analysis
GIS Analyze land use/cover patterns Error-check sites
Problems Scale of analysis – How far away from
the stream should land use/cover be analyzed?
Topography? Literature on small streams
Questions
