Evidence of Large Change in Unionid Mussel Abundance from Selective Muskrat Predation,as Inferred by Shell Remains Left on Shore

Three species of unionid mussels (Pyganodon grandis, Lampsilis siliquoidea, and Toxolasma parvus) were preyed on by muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) that left shell remains at feeding sites (middens) along the shore of Lake LaSalle (West) in western New York State, USA. Mussels became established within five years of the construction of this small artificial lake, and individuals of all three species have grown rapidly to large size. The abundance of prey in middens in 1988–1990 and a marked decline in subsequently deposited shells indicate how dramatically muskrats had exploited this food source. They consumed > 2700 individuals of P. grandis (by far the most common prey item) through 1990, yet only 20 newly deposited shells were found in 1993. At a midden where prey depletion was directly catalogued during 1988, larger specimens of P. grandis were consumed first, suggesting size selection. L. siliquoidea has been least affected by predation, and was the mussel most often found alive in the littoral zone. No live T. parvus were ever collected, and this species is known only from middens. Complete collections of shell remains from the shoreline through 1999 suggest that the mussel population may be recovering slowly. Muskrat predation may be more important in influencing mussel population structure than previously realized, and the effects can be dramatic spatially and temporally.