Alexis Hollander

2025 Recipient of the Biodiversity Institute Graduate Student Excellence Grant

Department of Ecology and Evolution

Graduate Advisor: Lusha Tronstad

Background:

Freshwater mussels are cryptic yet critical components of aquatic ecosystems. They provide habitat structure to other plants and invertebrates, serve as prey for fish, mammals, and birds, and improve water quality through filtration. The White heelsplitter is a mussel native to the Belle Fourche River in Wyoming, including within Devils Tower National Monument. The last assessment of this mussel population was conducted in 2014, which is a length of time almost as long as their lifespan of 12 years. The goal of my project is to resurvey this population 11 years later and update the population status in Devils Tower. Some of the questions we are asking are whether the population has grown or declined since 2014, what is the age structure of the population, and if we can compare modern mussel growth to shells we have in the archaeology record. Our findings will help provide information to managers to conserve White heelsplitters in the state.Freshwater mussels are cryptic yet critical components of aquatic ecosystems. They provide habitat structure to other plants and invertebrates, serve as prey for fish, mammals, and birds, and improve water quality through filtration. The White heelsplitter is a mussel native to the Belle Fourche River in Wyoming, including within Devils Tower National Monument. The last assessment of this mussel population was conducted in 2014, which is a length of time almost as long as their lifespan of 12 years. The goal of my project is to resurvey this population 11 years later and update the population status in Devils Tower. Some of the questions we are asking are whether the population has grown or declined since 2014, what is the age structure of the population, and if we can compare modern mussel growth to shells we have in the archaeology record. Our findings will help provide information to managers to conserve White heelsplitters in the state.