A simulation study of the spatio-temporal dynamics of the unionid mussels

The southeastern United States has one of the richest and most diverse communities of freshwater mussels in the world. However, the population size and species diversity has steadily declined since early in this century, resulting in many species being on the brink of extinction. In this paper, a modelling framework using a spatially explicit and age structured computer model is used to conduct spatial-temporal dynamics analysis of the mussel population. The important parameters studied are the effects of fecundity rate, availability of fish hosts and suitability of the habitat for the mussel communities.