Abstract
Freshwater mussels (family Unionidae) are a key component of the Ohio River ecosystem, but are under threat from increased development, invasive species, and historic harvesting. Private and governmental organizations have surveyed mussel populations for decades, but data often remains compartmentalized due to sensitivity and logistical constraints. This project used ArcGIS and data from multiple sources to map mussel beds, species richness, and diversity across the Ohio River. The final dataset combined four sub-datasets, totaling 145,810 individuals of 73 species across 291 collection events. Species richness and Shannon Diversity Index were calculated for 18 of 20 pools, with Meldahl exhibiting the highest species richness, Hannibal the lowest, Markland the highest diversity, and JT Meyers the lowest. Future work could look to expand the dataset or explore drivers of the observed patterns.