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| RESEARCHERS WORKING TO STOP WATERFOWL DEATHS ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER |
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WPR News - Researchers working to stop waterfowl deaths on the Mississippi River
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Monday October 10, 2011
by Maureen McCollum
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(UNDATED) Hundreds to thousands of waterfowl will die on the Mississippi River during this year's fall migration. While this is not a new phenomenon, UW-La Crosse researchers are studying a snail to learn how to prevent it.
The bithynia tentaculata is a tiny invasive snail in the upper Mississippi River. It can be infected by four nasty parasites. When waterfowl then eat the snails, the parasites attack the intestines, ultimately killing the birds.
Up to 15 species of birds can be infected, especially the coot and lesser scaup.
Greg Sandland is an associate professor at UW-La Crosse, working in the biology department and the River Studies Center. He says the dead birds can affect the river, "A lot of the birds end up down at the bottom of the Mississippi River, which in turn could influence the microbial community that's down there, breaking up those birds."
Biologists tried adding sand to an area to push back the Bithynia where waterfowl were, but that method didn't work. Adding a toxin that would kill the snail could harm other species, so researchers don't like that option.
Sandland says they'd like to pinpoint when the parasite grows within the snail. Then, he says, they could try different ways to control the snail in the Mississippi River, "Try to, for example, kick back snail densities in areas where we end up finding the largest areas of birds. Or, perhaps we could modify the environment in certain areas in Pool 7 or Pool 8 to prevent the snails from establishing in areas where you might find large areas of birds congregating."
Sandland says it could take a long time to solve the issue and prevent more waterfowl from dying each year.
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