Dr. Neil Ford, Professor of Biology

The role of hydrodynamics of flow in the distribution of mussels in the Neches River

I am working on a grant with two other faculty to examine how shear forces produced by the hydrodynamics of flow are related to the abundance and species composition of freshwater mussels in the northern reaches of the Neches River. This will involve gathering data on physical characteristics of the river that affect flow and mussel occurrence data from 4 sites on the river and making correlations between the characteristics of flow and the presence of particular species of mussels and their abundances.