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Abstract
Freshwater mussels are considered one of the most imperiled faunal groups worldwide and have a unique life history strategy in which the larvae (glochidia) act as obligate ectoparasites on fish. The purpose of my thesis research is to provide insight on the complex relationships freshwater mussels have with their hosts by 1) using DNA barcoding of juveniles and glochidia collected off fishes infected in situ to evaluate true host use relationships of mussels in the Flint River basin and 2) evaluating community and habitat drivers in infection rates and prevalence in host fish. Data from this research will help identify novel records of mussel-host relationships through comparison of existing databases and literature searches and interpret important community metrics that influence the mussel and host relationships in the basin.