Meeting Abstract
River impoundments rapidly alter freshwater habitats, often resulting in species decline or extirpation. Yet, fine-scale response of remaining species to such habitat alternation is not well studied, especially for the invertebrate taxa that are often most affected by river impoundments. The Coosa River in Alabama experienced one of the largest faunal declines in modern history after impoundment making it an ideal system for studying how species are affected by reservoir creation. One such species, the rough hornsnail Pleurocera foremani, is a freshwater snail in the family Pleuroceridae endemic to the Coosa River system. It is one of the few endemic freshwater snails that persists in Coosa River reservoirs. P. foremani has been federally listed as an endangered species since 2010, but new populations of P. foremani have been discovered within the Coosa River system since the initial listing. Primary threats to the snail are manmade factors, like fragmentation or removal of habitat areas, and decreased water quality. We sampled all known localities of P. foremani and use 2bRAD-Seq to detect genetic diversity. We assessed patterns across the current range of P. foremani and measured gene flow within and between impoundments. Ultimately, this study will inform management strategies and potential down-listing decision for P. foremani as well as provide insight into genetic connectivity of invertebrates within the Coosa River drainage.
