Small shells, big picture: UM graduate dives deep into aquatic biology research

Small shells, big picture: UM graduate dives deep into aquatic biology research

On a small island in Lake Michigan, 20 miles from the nearest shore, Lauren Western searches for snails in the shallow water. At each of her sites, she needs to collect 30 specimens of Campeloma decisum, a common freshwater snail found across the eastern U.S. and southeastern Canada.If the snails proved difficult to find on the shore, she dips a net to sift through the sediment or snorkels her way through deeper waters. The specimens she collect…