I'm a new DPhil student in the department, researching under the NERC ECOWILD CDT. My project will focus on the impact of multiple stressors on the interaction between freshwater fish and freshwater mussels in the southastern USA. Many of these mussel species are threatened, which is concerning because they play an important role in water filtration.
Freshwater mussels don't tend to move around a lot, so in order for their offspring to reach new areas, they attach to the gills of fish which then transport them. A combination of excess heat released by industrial developments and sedimentation from agricultural run-off may be impacting this interaction between mussels and fish; I'll be investigating whether this is the case, to see whether anything can be done. Generally I'm interested in wide-ranging aspects of ecology and conservation, and in many different species. I'm looking forward to learning about other researchers' projects in the department!
