Clumped isotopes reveal relationship between mussel growth and river discharge.

ABSTRACT: Freshwater mussels preserve valuable information about hydrology, climate, and population dynamics, but developing seasonal chronologies can be problematic. Using clumped isotope thermometry, we produced high-resolution reconstructions of modern and historic (~ 1900) temperatures and δ¹⁸O_water from mussel shells collected from an impounded river, the Brazos in Texas, before and after damming. We also performed high-resolution growth band analyses to investigate relationships between mussel growth rate, rainfall, and seasonal temperature. Reconstructed δ¹⁸O_water and temperature vary little between the modern (3R5) and historic shell (H3R). However, a positive relationship between reconstructed δ¹⁸O_water and growth rate in H3R

SUBMITTER: Brewer MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11369190 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature