Native Freshwater Mussels Exhibit
Native freshwater mussels are important natural purifiers of water and serve as indicator species about the health of an aquatic ecosystem. The Forest Preserve District propagates native freshwater mussels at its Urban Stream Research Center at Blackwell Forest Preserve.
The Native Freshwater Mussels STEM Exhibit highlights the science behind our propagation efforts, featuring the biology and life-cycle of mussels, technology used to count and track lab-raised individuals, and engineering processes of various aquatic-housing systems. Hands-on activities include:
- examination of mussel specimens
- use of a microscope to count baby mussels
- exploration of mussel larvae to host fish.
Standards Explored
NGSS:
- K-ESS3-1 Earth and Human Activity
- K-ESS3-3 Earth and Human Activity
- 1-LS3-1 Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits
- 2-LS4-1 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
- 3-LS1-1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
- 3-LS3-2 Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits
- 3-LS4-4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
- 4-LS1-1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
- 5-LS2-1 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
- 5-ESS3-1 Earth and Human Activity
- MS-LS2-4 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
- MS-ESS3-3 Earth and Human Activity
- HS-LS4-5 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
