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Two University of Michigan biologists led a recent freshwater mussel study based on fieldwork along two rivers in SE Michigan. The study investigates mussels’ reproductive cycle, which includes the use of fleshy “mantle lures” by pregnant females to attract nearby fish and “infect” them with larvae.

Michigan is home to 43 species of native freshwater mussels, 30 of which are considered to be at risk of extinction. Among the many factors that threaten the hard-shelled bottom dwellers are competition from invasive zebra and quagga mussels, water pollution, and—especially—dams.

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