Black Sand Shell- Ligumia Recta
The Black Sand Shell Mussel looks like a smooth flat rock it's shell has lighter brown growth rings/ ridges. It is also thin. I learned that it is a troubled species. Females are rounded and the Males are tapered around the edges. These mussels used to be widespread and abundant, but currently they are much more secreate and found only in certain areas. They're currently threatened in Ohio.
Tall Tale- One fine afternoon Johny was running on the beach when he cut his foot. He could not figure out what he had cut it on. He hopped back to the campsite for help. "Johny, what on earth did you do to your foot?'" His mother hollered. " I cut it on something," he said. "You better not have been swimming in that gross water," she started off her lecture with every time Johny came back to the campsite or they were talking about the river. Everybody who lived by the Mississippi River knew no one dared swim in the Mississippi because it was to polluted. So the only thing Johny could have cut his foot on was glass because no animals live there.
After a couple of days Johny went back to the beach where he cut his foot. He began searching for what it could possible be. He found the tip of something black sticking up in the sand. He knelt down and began clearing the sand around it. He stared down in a amazement at a shell that lay before him. The mussel stood up and said "you have to help me." Johny stared down and asked "Are you a clam?" No," replied the mussel. "I'm a mussel, The Black Sand Shell mussel to be exact." "Where did you come from?" Johny asked. "We mussels are not exticnt, like every one thought we were. There are millions of us laying in the bottom of the river over there. That's where the last clean underwater spring is. Its the last clean one in the river and if they don't get back to the right habitat, we could really be extinct. I need your help." " And what can I do?" Johny asked. "Make a cyclone to clean the river," the mussel said.
So the mussel gave Johny the rock and he threw it in the sky as high as he could. In return a cyclone began to form, and fall out of the sky. It touched down on the river and froze time. As the cyclone cleaned the river a show of images began to appear of all the things that caused the river to become this way. Johny saw strangers, family and friends and even himself. But as the cyclone began to clear, the river became clean and the mussels slowly floated to the top of the water. Johny went and placed the mussels back down where they wanted to be. After all the mussels were happy Johny swan back to the campsite and told the story around the campfire. He told them about how the river became that way in the first place. Some people believe him and went down to get a closer look at the now clean river filled with happy animals and a thriving ecosystem. Others didn't believe Johny and looked down to see the same dirty river. " There's no way WE could have caused that they said." But the ones who really saw what happened just laughed and enjoyed fishing and swimming.
After a couple of days Johny went back to the beach where he cut his foot. He began searching for what it could possible be. He found the tip of something black sticking up in the sand. He knelt down and began clearing the sand around it. He stared down in a amazement at a shell that lay before him. The mussel stood up and said "you have to help me." Johny stared down and asked "Are you a clam?" No," replied the mussel. "I'm a mussel, The Black Sand Shell mussel to be exact." "Where did you come from?" Johny asked. "We mussels are not exticnt, like every one thought we were. There are millions of us laying in the bottom of the river over there. That's where the last clean underwater spring is. Its the last clean one in the river and if they don't get back to the right habitat, we could really be extinct. I need your help." " And what can I do?" Johny asked. "Make a cyclone to clean the river," the mussel said.
So the mussel gave Johny the rock and he threw it in the sky as high as he could. In return a cyclone began to form, and fall out of the sky. It touched down on the river and froze time. As the cyclone cleaned the river a show of images began to appear of all the things that caused the river to become this way. Johny saw strangers, family and friends and even himself. But as the cyclone began to clear, the river became clean and the mussels slowly floated to the top of the water. Johny went and placed the mussels back down where they wanted to be. After all the mussels were happy Johny swan back to the campsite and told the story around the campfire. He told them about how the river became that way in the first place. Some people believe him and went down to get a closer look at the now clean river filled with happy animals and a thriving ecosystem. Others didn't believe Johny and looked down to see the same dirty river. " There's no way WE could have caused that they said." But the ones who really saw what happened just laughed and enjoyed fishing and swimming.
Structure & Function
The Black Sand Shell Mussel is an invertabrate because it doesn't have a backbone. They have to shells to protect themsevles. Mussels are also cold- blooded because they live in water and the temperature of their surrounings are always changing and they have to be able to change with it or they die.
Structures & Funcutions:
Beak- acts as a hinge or where the shell comes together.
Foot- used for moving and anchoring.
Excurrent Siphon- where filtered water exists.
Incurrent Siphon- where the water enters to be flitered and the food is collected.
Growth Ring- shows rest periods.
Tubercle- wartlike bumps on shell.
Sulcus- deep narrow grooves in tissue.
Ligament- holds organs in place.
Posterior Slope- distances between rest periods.
Posterior Ridge- used to show rest period/ age.
Gills- used to breathe, filter feed and incubate larva.
Digestive Tract- used to break down food.
Posterior Adductor Muscle- makes it able for the shell to close together.
Teeth- to keep shell in line when closed.
Mouth- used to hold/place food.
Anterior Adductor- makes it able for the shell to close together.
Mantle- attracts host fish
History Of Mussel
In this graph it shows the year, price (green) and harvest (blue). The graph shows how many mussels are harvested by ton and how much they cost. You can look at the graph at see which years more or less were harvested and/or how the price rises and drops.
Some very important events inculde:
1891-The begining of the pearl button industy beacause more mussels would be harvested to be made into buttons for the high demand and price of them.
1914-The buliding of a hydroelectric dam because certain host fish for the mussel weren't able to migrated which cause them to die. Then the mussel aren't able to spread there glochidia to continue to grow.
1930-The implementaion of the 9ft channel because then the locks and dams are changing the water level so the mussels are unable to find a perfect habiat to live and reproduce. Dredging would also have to take place to make the channel 9ft. The dredging smashes and upset the mussels habitat.
1960-The development of market for mussel shells to be used as seeds in cultured pearls because more mussel would be harvested to start pearls. The shells of the mussel are cut into pieces and placed inside oysters to make a pearl.
1991-The first zebra mussel was documented in the Mississippi River because more mussels would become endangered. The Zebra mussels live on other mussels blocking th incurrent and excurrent causing them to die because they can't breathe or eat.
Life Cycle
The life cycle of this mussel starts off when a male mussel (upstream from the female) releases a sperm that floats downstream to the female mussel. The sperm fertilizes the eggs inside the female. Then the female mussel uses her mantle to look like a prey fish. This "fake fish" will attract a bigger fish in which the female is able to spray her glochidia inside the host fish's gills, where the glochidia will feed and grow until they become a juvenile mussel. The Black Sand Shell commonly uses the Walleye, Sauger and some sunfish as a host fish. The female will try to make her mantle look like yellow perch or a minnows to attract the host fish. After the glochidia is in the host fish's gills they grow and develope into a juvenile mussel. The juvenile mussel is a super small adult mussel.
Threats To Mussel
Being a mussel can be dangerous. Their are lots of things that can harm you in the bottom of the river. One of the things could be habitat destruction. As the locks and dams change the water level, too shallow or too deep of water could mean life or death for these creatures. Other things like food, host fish and other things in the mussels everyday life are affected by these changes. We could stop this not changing the water level so much at a time leaving the dams open during breeding season for certain fish or by put locks and dams further apart. (and stock them with certain fish so species can surive)
Barges also coming down the river are dangerous. Most rivers are 9 ft in depth. Most barges that are full are about 9 ft underwater. As you can tell there are probably some close calls with the down of the river and mussel live at the bottom of the river. When barges scrap the bottom mussels are upset and moved to the wrong habitat (without the right habitat they die). We could stop this by not filling barges so much or making our rivers deeper.
Sedimentation also a very common threat. Sedimentation is when the juvenile mussel is ready to be dropped out of the fishes gills. If the mussel isn't dropped into the right soil (good: sand, sand/ gravel, etc. and bad: muck, rip rap and sandbar.) they might not find the right food or they might not be able to breathe and die. Its very important that they are placed in the right soil or they will not be able to start the next generation. We can stop this by not runining the habitat they need by stopping pollution or traveling of large boats/barges in certain areas.
Barges also coming down the river are dangerous. Most rivers are 9 ft in depth. Most barges that are full are about 9 ft underwater. As you can tell there are probably some close calls with the down of the river and mussel live at the bottom of the river. When barges scrap the bottom mussels are upset and moved to the wrong habitat (without the right habitat they die). We could stop this by not filling barges so much or making our rivers deeper.
Sedimentation also a very common threat. Sedimentation is when the juvenile mussel is ready to be dropped out of the fishes gills. If the mussel isn't dropped into the right soil (good: sand, sand/ gravel, etc. and bad: muck, rip rap and sandbar.) they might not find the right food or they might not be able to breathe and die. Its very important that they are placed in the right soil or they will not be able to start the next generation. We can stop this by not runining the habitat they need by stopping pollution or traveling of large boats/barges in certain areas.
Habitat & Food
Habitat: The Black Sand Shell lives in medium to large rivers with riffles and raceways in the firm sand or gravel. The mussel barries itself in the ground so only the incurrent and excurrents are above the soil. The mussel uses the incurrent to stuck in water. The water filters throught the mussel. The mussel collects the food and the left over, very clean water to released through the excurrent.
Food: The Black Sand Shell filter feeds on baterica, fungus, mirco animals and other organic matter particles. They are 2nd to lowest (bottom) on the food chain, even though they don't have many predators.
Food: The Black Sand Shell filter feeds on baterica, fungus, mirco animals and other organic matter particles. They are 2nd to lowest (bottom) on the food chain, even though they don't have many predators.
How a mussel filter feeds. The food chain of a mussel.
Ecological Impact & Mobility
Mobility: Mussels are bury themselves in the sand so only there incurrent and excurrent siphon is above the soil. They use these to filter feed and breathe. If mussel need to move because of the water being to low or to high they use their foot to pull themselves to their destonation. A sessile is when we a animal is permentaly attached to something.
Impact: The purpose of the mussel is to clean the water. When a mussel filters the water they not only get food they collect toxics and other harmful particles in the water and deposit them into their shell. After the mussel had filtered the water they release the very clean water through their excurrent siphon, making the river more clean. Certain fish eat juvenile mussels. While muskrats, raccoons and otters eat adult mussels. Mussels are indicator species because they are common and they can only surive in pretty health water. If mussels start to die they can tell us that there might be somthing wrong with the water or their food. (micro animals in the river)
Impact: The purpose of the mussel is to clean the water. When a mussel filters the water they not only get food they collect toxics and other harmful particles in the water and deposit them into their shell. After the mussel had filtered the water they release the very clean water through their excurrent siphon, making the river more clean. Certain fish eat juvenile mussels. While muskrats, raccoons and otters eat adult mussels. Mussels are indicator species because they are common and they can only surive in pretty health water. If mussels start to die they can tell us that there might be somthing wrong with the water or their food. (micro animals in the river)
Where they're found How they bury themselves in the sand.
This video shows how the mussel filters to make the water more clean through their incurrent and excurrent siphon.
Sources
Informational/ Photo Websites:
http://www.nps.gov/miss/naturescience/musspageblac.htm
http://www.inhs.illinois.edu/animals_plants/mollusk/musselmanual/page136_7.html
http://www.darbycreeks.org/Musselphotos4.htm
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/RockIsland/ec/Research/CedarRiver/index.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/teamgreenweb/6950755776/
http://www.menunkatuck.org/index.php/biodiversity/bio_bits/freshwater_mussels/