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A window into habitat trajectory.
Across our collection of anchialine ponds
we have seen that bivalve and gastropod diversity (including specific
indicator species) correlates closely with salinity. We plan to
create a molluscan diversity index correlated with salinity and
use this to follow the trajectory of hypersalination within these
ponds. a) We will identify the molluscs living within a series
of ponds and correlate this species catalog with current salinity
levels. b) We will analyze "shell hashes" lining the
shores of hypersaline ponds that currently harbor no living representatives.
These shell residues will be characterized by species in order
to estimate salinity during the past when these ponds were more
hospitable. Samples will be analyzed by amino acid racemization
to estimate age and infer when these hypersaline ponds were last
capable of supporting molluscan life. In one case, we will perform
core samples to search for relic shells along the shores of an
extremely hypersaline pond with no evidence of recent invertebrate
life. c). We will begin long term tracking of living mollusc diversity
within those ponds that appear to be undergoing hypersalination.
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