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Distribution And Impacts Of Invasive Bivalve Corbicula Fluminea In Tidal Freshwater York River Tributaries, Matthew Ryan Freedman

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The Asian clam, Corbicula fluminea, is one of the most invasive bivalves in the world but there is limited research on its presence in tidal freshwater systems. Despite its introduction into Chesapeake Bay tributaries in the 1970s, the initial colonization and subsequent development of populations of C. fluminea in the Mattaponi and Pamunkey sub-tributaries of the York River, Virginia, is mostly undocumented. This study assessed the spatial distribution and population structure of C. fluminea in tidal freshwater sections of these rivers (~45km) with benthic surveys during summer 2011 – 2012. Benthic grabs (2.4L, 0.023m2) taken at 40 sites in each …