A support group and a lab in the St. Louis area provide resources for people with the allergy to mammal products — and evidence that its effects can be reversed.
A lake sturgeon at the surface. With a lineage stretching back over 150 million years, the lake sturgeon is a vital part of Mississippi River ecosystem and one of the largest freshwater fish in North America. Courtesy: Noppadol Paothong/Missouri Department of Conservation
This week we've got a piece exclusive to the newsletter, an introduction to the many animals that live in and around the Mississippi River. This comes to us from University of Missouri student journalist Audrey Stanard, who has been working on this topic for a while now.
We're excited to share it with you and hope it serves as an introduction for new subscribers and a celebration for those more versed in the river's inhabitants.
A vibrant ecosystem: Wildlife of the Mississippi River
By Audrey Stanard
Beneath the waters of the Mississippi River lies a vibrant ecosystem teeming with life. The Mississippi is a major global river system in terms of size, habitat diversity and biological productivity, and it's home to a vast array of species, from ancient sturgeon to playful otters.
The river stretches 2,340 miles from Lake Itasca in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists have catalogued at least 879 wildlife species, per Friends of the Mississippi River, and they continue to learn new things about these creatures. The biodiversity of the Mississippi River serves an important purpose, said Frank Nelson, wetlands systems manager for the Missouri Department of Conservation.
"It's really critical because healthy habitats contribute significantly to healthy people, whether it's clean water or clean air," Nelson said.
Many never see the amazing spectrum of life in the Mississippi, but experts say understanding its many inhabitants can help protect the river, improving life for the humans who live along its banks.
Fish
The lake sturgeon is a piece of living history, representative of the trials many species face. One fall day near the river town of Louisiana, Missouri, Missouri Conservationist magazine photographer Noppadol Paothong peered beneath the shimmering surface of the Mississippi River as one emerged from the murk. He snapped the photo.
“To see the fish, and go look at the fossil, it still looks exactly the same. It's amazing to see, and something people don't get to see every day,” said Paothong. “You learn to appreciate it.”
Lake sturgeon struggled in the late 1800s and early 1900s as commercial harvesting hurt populations and dams cut spawning habitat. Harvests were regulated by the late 1900s, and dam removal and policy changes have helped restore the population.
All told, the Mississippi River is home to more than 120 fish species below St. Anthony Falls in Minnesota, including paddlefish, catfish, walleye, alligator gar, common carp, freshwater drum, sturgeon, bluegill, bass, gizzard shad and more. Some fish migrate over long distances to complete their life cycles, a testament to the river's important role as a connected habitat for wildlife at a continental scale.
Shellfish
Critical to the health of the Mississippi River are various mussels – wartyback, mapleleaf, pimpleback, deertoe, giant floater – whose curious names reflect their unique biology. These creatures filter water to gather food, which cleans the water, and eventually they provide nourishment for larger animals.
Similarly, shrimp and crayfish play a quiet but important role in the river's complex ecological system by eating dead and decaying plants and animals and being eaten themselves.
Conservation photographer Noppadol Paothong on assignment. Courtesy Noppadol Paothong/Missouri Department of Conservation
Birds
Astounding numbers of birds flock to the Mississippi, which serves as a major artery for at least 325 species. The river is part of the Mississippi Flyway designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, used by 40% of shorebirds and waterfowl during migration.
That’s millions of birds, from songbirds to ducks, and even raptors, according to the Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee. Wetlands lining the river serve as crucial rest stops, providing food and shelter to recharge on their long journeys.
Reptiles, Amphibians & Insects
Turtles, such as the alligator snapping turtle, various snakes, frogs and salamanders all call the river home. Amphibians use wetlands to survive, keeping their skin moist. This includes leaf litter, woody material, small mammal burrows, boulders and cracks in rocks.
Insects such as mayflies, dragonflies and beetles live the larval part of their lives within the waters of the river, emerging and feeding birds and fish, and even spiders.
A Changing Landscape
For its many inhabitants, the river is constantly changing and continues to be transformed by people.
“The Mississippi River has been drastically altered, basically narrowed and streamlined,” Nelson said. “Just the conversion of forest wetlands and the stream itself has minimized the extent of native habitats.”
Today, it is engineered by a complex network of levees, locks, dams, and other structures designed to improve navigation or manage flooding. This reshaping has come at a cost for the delicate web of life that once thrived along its floodplain. While these measures protect communities, floods also replenish wetlands and support critical habitat.
Threatened, Endangered and Invasive Species
Some residents of the river are newer and less welcome. Invasive carp can comprise 95% of the biomass in parts of the river, feeding on plankton that native species need.
American eel populations, once overfished and still threatened by habitat loss, are considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Dams prevent the eels from traveling to the Sargasso Sea to breed. These structures also impact other fish.
Changes in the river have also drastically impacted mussel populations. The Higgins eye pearlymussel is threatened by habitat loss, degradation and exotic species like invasive zebra mussels.
“I think we have done a lot to bring back some of these species, which is good,” said Mark Wagner, volunteer and former director of education at the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium. “Not all of them will return, but I think our awareness of the river and helping to protect it is getting better. So that's a positive sign.”
Conservation
Biodiversity in the Mississippi River is a key sign of environmental health, and it serves as a major economic driver for economies around the Basin. It’s also a source of creative inspiration for artists and conservationists. That’s part of why photographer Paothong works to document and share images of the amazing animals that live in the river.
“I want to share with people in Missouri about our beautiful natural resources ... and in some sense what we're losing,” Paothong said. “I want people to be aware of how beautiful they are. Whether it’s the landscape or insects or birds or fish or anything, I want my photographs to speak for them because, let's face it, these animals, they can't speak for themselves.”
Audrey did a nice job on this piece, and I hope you found it informative, whether you're new to the Basin and its issues or have been a fan of the river for decades. We love working with Mizzou students on projects like this and helping to develop the next generation of environmental journalists.
Thanks for reading. More next week from across the Basin.
