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[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.9.0″][et_pb_fullwidth_image src=”https:\/\/aaes.auburn.edu\/wrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/02\/IMG_5195-scaled.jpg” title_text=”IMG_5195″ _builder_version=”4.9.0″ animation_style=”fade”][\/et_pb_fullwidth_image][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.5.6″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||-75px|||” custom_padding=”1px|||||”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.5.6″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.5.6″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.0″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n
Dr. Stoeckel alongside a crayfish burrow resin mold in his lab at the E. W. Shell Fisheries Center in Auburn, AL.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.5.6″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n When using Alabama\u2019s rivers and streams for canoeing and other water activities, we may not always recognize the aquatic biodiversity that these waters hold. Alabama has the highest biodiversity of freshwater species of molluscs and crustaceans (including crayfish) in the United States. However, more than 50 percent of these molluscs and crustaceans are potentially under threat.<\/span><\/p>\n Dr. Jim Stoeckel, an Associate Professor in Auburn University\u2019s School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, through his research, is attempting to identify which types of environmental stressors affect Southeastern mollusks and crustaceans\u2019 populations and how those stressors impact population viability.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.0″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.0″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/aaes.auburn.edu\/wrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/02\/IMG_5476-scaled.jpg” title_text=”IMG_5476″ _builder_version=”4.9.0″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.5.6″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-17px|auto||auto||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.5.6″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.0″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n Stoeckel holds a freshwater mussel kept in outdoor ponds at the E. W. Shell Fisheries Center. Photo Credit: Sydney Smith<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.0″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n Stoeckel\u2019s primary focus is the conservation of Alabama-native freshwater species while also controlling invasive freshwater species that could potentially threaten native molluscs and crustaceans. Both molluscs and crayfish play important, yet highly different, roles in aquatic ecosystems; one is a filter feeder and the other is an omnivore. Despite this key difference, both animals are sensitive to changes and stressors in their environment. These stressors can take many forms. Stoeckel\u2019s research has found three primary threats to freshwater populations in Alabama.<\/span><\/p>\n To begin with, altered flow regimes due to climate change, dams, and poor land use practices can play a role in wiping out these populations. \u201cJust like your house can be destroyed by a hurricane or tornado, it is the same thing for these animals living in a stream. If we have big floods (that scour the stream bottoms), frequent droughts (that dry the streams), or a lot of erosion (that dumps excessive sediments into the streams), that can destroy their homes,\u201d Stoeckel said.<\/span><\/p>\n \n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/aaes.auburn.edu\/wrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/02\/IMG_5301-scaled.jpg” title_text=”IMG_5301″ _builder_version=”4.9.0″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.0″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n Stoeckel holding a respiration chamber used for thermal stress experiments in his lab with molluscs and crayfish. Photo Credit: Sydney Smith<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.5.6″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n His research has also identified that thermal conditions of the environment have a large impact on the molluscs\u2019 and crustaceans\u2019 survivability. For instance, different molluscs species have different maximum temperatures that they can tolerate before their bodies begin to shut down.\u00a0 Identifying the different thermal tolerances for various species will help researchers and ecologists save species during high heat times. This is especially important as temperatures rise near riverbanks due to climate change and removal of riparian buffers (i.e. vegetation) near the water\u2019s edge.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.5.6″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px|||”][\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/aaes.auburn.edu\/wrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/03\/Crayfish-in-Stoeckel-Lab-scaled.jpg” title_text=”Crayfish-in-Stoeckel-Lab” _builder_version=”4.9.0″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.0″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n A wall of crayfish enclosures in the Stoeckel Lab.\u00a0Crayfish that are captured for temporary use in the lab are allowed a time period to acclimate to indoor conditions prior to participating in research trials.\u00a0<\/b><\/span>Photo Credit: Rachel McGuire<\/b><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.0″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n However, some species have developed a mechanism of their own to protect themselves against different environmental threats. For instance, there is a group of crayfish, known as burrowing crayfish, that build their own homes to control various environmental factors. \u201cThey even build ventilation structures to control airflow, humidity, and temperature within their burrows,\u201d Stoeckel said.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/aaes.auburn.edu\/wrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/03\/Crayfish-Burrow-Entrance-with-Chimney-scaled.jpg” title_text=”Crayfish-Burrow-Entrance-with-Chimney” _builder_version=”4.9.0″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.0″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n