Freshwater Snail Inventory of the Upper Delaware River

Project Title

Freshwater Snail Inventory of the Upper Delaware River

Project Description

Faculty mentor: Tanya Dapkey

Project Description: 

Snails are a vital, yet poorly researched, component of riparian and riverine ecosystems. In order to understand the needs of the community (conservation, impact of invasive species, etc.), its dynamics must first be identified. In the summer of 2022, I kayaked down the Delaware River with my research group, and we used kicknet and hand-collection sampling to determine the diversity and abundance of freshwater snails in a 70-mile stretch. In our travels across thirty sites, we found something interesting along the way: gastropod taxonomy is incredibly confusing, and identifying invasive species can be so difficult (due to similar morphologies) that DNA tissue barcoding is essential for properly identifying species. For my Winter Term project in 2023, I rejoined the team and identified thousands of snails. Sometimes, they were so small as to be indistinguishable from a grain of sand with the naked eye!
 

Why is your research important?

This research underscores the critical role of freshwater snails in Delaware River ecosystems and emphasizes the urgency of addressing taxonomic challenges, especially concerning invasive species management. More generally, unlike other mollusks, freshwater snails are very poorly studied, and sometimes there can be conflicting descriptions of species, which leads to general confusion amongst researchers. This project has led me to advocate for DNA barcoding of tissues as the leading mode of taxonomic identification, namely Cipangopaludina japonica and Cipangopaludina chinensis, two invasive species in the Upper Delaware River.
 

What does the process of doing your research look like?

During an average field day, we wake up at dawn and drive out to the launch site, and once on the river, I direct the kayaks towards where we need to go. At the field site, we divvy up each research task: one person collects snails on boulders, one in muck, and one on macrophytes. Finally, we record transect information. As we head to the next site, we usually sing songs on the river about snail-related puns.
 

What knowledge has your research contributed to your field?

We've found that freshwater snails have a preference for warm-water sites. This is especially noteworthy in the Delaware River, because more frequent dam releases could change the temperature gradient of the river, which could impact the snail community. Since snails are so trophically central, this could have environmental impacts that cascade through the food web. We also found that many of the "Chinese mysterysnails" were actually a different, related species, the Japanese mysterysnail. Our struggle to determine this has led us to reevaluate traditional ways of identifying snails, and we now favor DNA barcoding of tissue to identify specimens.
 

In what ways have you showcased your research thus far?

My team has presented our research within the Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University, and we've had the following article written about our work: https://www.anspblog.org/highlighting-biodiversity-snails-delaware-river/. I presented this research at the Oberlin Undergraduate Research Symposium.
 

How did you get involved in research? What drove you to seek out research experiences in college?

I got involved in this project by reaching out through the Oberlin alumni network, and an Oberlin Biology graduate directed me towards Tanya Dapkey, who would eventually become my mentor. I wanted to do a project based in aquatic ecology, and Tanya needed someone who had experience on the water, and we shared a love for creepy crawlies. I wanted to augment my Oberlin education with aquatic biology, and I also wanted to get in the mud and actually do the research techniques I was learning about in class.

 

What is your favorite aspect of the research process?

My favorite part of the research project is collaborating with the brilliant people on and around my team. I had the privilege of traveling to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences during Fall Break of 2022, and Dr. Art Bogan imparted his malacological expertise onto me. He also showed the team around some awesome local food and told us how the discipline is changing over time to become more open and diverse. I got along really well with all of the Snail Team, and I spent most of my time in the field laughing, smiling, singing, or cracking jokes-- this environment was really important for me, because it allowed me to be alright with making mistakes or messing up, because I knew that I would have people who would teach me how to do better next time.
 

How has working with your mentor impacted the development of your research project? How has it impacted you as a researcher?

Tanya stepped into the Snails Project at a transitional period for the Macroinvertibrate lab, and she steered the lab through it by making sure that every researcher felt their voice mattered. Whenever we ran into an issue, she connected me with the right person or resource to fix it, and she celebrated my wins as if they were her own. She is an amazing researcher and supervisor, and she helped me figure out my leadership style by modeling it herself.
 

How has the research you’ve conducted contributed to your professional or academic development?  
This research solidified my interest in aquatic ecology, and gave me my first field research experience. I left my first summer with the snail project claiming the label of "scientist," and I move forward from that experience knowing that I want to pursue a PhD. The wonderful mentorship I had working with this team reaffirms my goal of becoming a professor one day, so that I may mentor undergrads and encourage them in the same way that I was.

What advice would you give to a younger student wanting to get involved in research in your field?

Utilize the Oberlin alumni network, and don't be afraid to cold email. Both research appointments I've had, I've gotten by directly asking my PI if they had room for an extra set of hands in the lab. The worst they can do is say no-- and that's fine!