Beneath the Surface - The Freshwater Mollusks of the Southeastern United States
Session Organizer: Ryan Evans

Description: Chattanooga is located adjacent to the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains, one of the most biologically diverse temperate areas on Earth.  Much of that biodiversity occurs in the creeks and rivers that radiate out from these ancient mountains, eventually to empty into the Atlantic Ocean and various parts of the Gulf of Mexico.  The rich biodiversity of freshwater mollusks that occurs here, as well as amphibians, fish, and crayfish, are globally unparalleled and is often compared to the rainforests of South America and the great coral reefs of the oceans.  However, various forms of pollution and habitat alterations have greatly affected the extremely diverse fauna of North America.  Freshwater mollusks are indicator species that depend on clean water, which all life depends upon for survival.

The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) meeting in Chattanooga, especially with it theme "From the Mountains to the Sea," provides a perfect opportunity for the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society to introduce these diverse and unique animals to the broader conservation community.  Our take home message to SCB is that no other faunal group in North America has experienced such a drastic level of decline or extinction.