Zebra Mussel Invasion of the Great Lakes

1
Zebra Mussel Invasion of the Great Lakes

• By Leslie Zaikis, Rachel Sullivan and Heather
  Chirco

2

Introduction

• Finger-nail sized mussels
• Native to Asia
• Recently brought to North America from Europe
• First found in Lake St. Clair
• Invasion has had many effects

3
Presentation Overview

• What is a zebra mussel?
• History of the Invasion
• Positive Effects
• Negative Effects
• Methods of Control
• Future

4
What is a zebra mussel?

• Dreissena polymorpha
• Striped shell pattern
• Size of a thumb-nail
• Attach to almost any hard surface
• Temperate, freshwater species
• Found 2-7 meters deep

5
What is a zebra mussel?

• Extraordinary ability to reproduce
• Can lay over 1 million eggs in a season
• Spawning catalyzed by temperature and food
• Natural biofilters
• Have the ability to remove excess algae and
  restore bodies of water
• 1 zebra mussel can filter 1 liter of water per
  day
• However, tissues absorb contaminants in the water

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History of the Invasion

• Originally from the Caspian and Black Seas in
  Asia
• Brought from Europe from Ballast Water in ships
• First spotted in Lake St. Clair between 1986 and
  1988

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History of the Invasion

The Spread of Zebra Mussels
Zebra mussel spread   Mid 1980s   1997 
8
Positive Effects

• Clear water by filtering algae
• Increases growth of aquatic plants
• Increase lake floor biodiversity
• Create a new food source for many native fish,
  birds, and other animals
• Monitor water contamination levels

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Negative Effects

• Clog water-intake pipes
• expensive to remove
• Negatively affect tourism
• Cut swimmers feet
• Alter taste of drinking water

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Negative Effects

• Reduce energy available in the food web
• Reduce many native fish populations
• Caused the near extinction of some native clam
  species

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Methods of Control

• Most scientists believe total eradication is
  impossible
• Most popular and effective chlorine treatments
• Harms the surrounding environment
• Extensive cleanup efforts required
• Can form dangerous carcinogens

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Methods of Control

• Other chemical molluscicides
• Trace amounts of potassium
• Also very dangerous to surrounding species
• Often more toxic to fish than mussels
• Natural Predation
• 176 natural predator species, especially birds
  and fish
• Diving ducks in Europe
• Competitive displacement

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Methods of Control

• Manual Removal
• High pressure wash, pipe cleaning
• Mussels can come back the next year
• Many other methods have been tried
• Thermal changes
• Acoustical vibration
• Desiccation
• Ultraviolet light
• Electrical current filters

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Future

• We think best method learn to live with mussels
• Other methods are invasive and harmful to the
  environment
• Will be expensive, up to 5 billion in next 10
  years
• However, long term benefits will outweigh short
  term costs, and infrastructure can be used for
  many years in future
• In Europe, successfully accommodated the mussels

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Works Cited

• Beaver, J.R., Cavaletto, J.F., Gardner, W. S.,
  Lavrentyev. (1995). Effects of the zebra mussel
  (Dreissena Polymorpha Pallas) on protozoa and
  phytoplankton from Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron. Great
  Lakes Resources, 21(4), 545-557.
• Bierman, V., Depinto, J., and Feist, T. (2000).
  The effect of zebra mussels on cycling and
  potential bioavailability of PCBs Case study of
  Saginaw Bay. United States Environmental
  Protection Agency. http//www.epa.gov/glnpo/inv
  asive/zmussels/index.html.
• Bossenbroek, M., Jonathan, Johnson, E., Ladd,
  Kraft, E., Clifford. (2006) Patterns and
  pathways in the post-establishment spread of
  non-indigenous aquatic species the slowing
  invasion of North American inland lakes by the
  zebra mussel.  Biological Invasions across
  Scales New Insights, 8(2), 475-489.
• Buchan, A. J. Lucy, Chotkowski, M. A., Padilla,
  K. Dianna. (1996) Global Ecology and
  Biogeography Letters, 5(6), 353-359.

16
Works Cited

• Burlakova, L.E., Karatayev, A.Y., Kurandina,
  D.P., Laruelle, F., Molloy, D.P. (1997). Natural
  enemies of zebra mussels Predators, parasites,
  and ecological competitors. Reviews in Fisheries
  Science, 5(1), 27-97.
• Cope, G.W., Marking, L.L., Rach, J.J., Waller,
  L.D. (1993) Toxicity of candidate molluscicides
  to zebra mussels ( Dreissena Polymorpha) and
  selected nontarget organisms. J. Great Lakes
  Res., 19(4), 695-702.
• Diggins, P., T., Stewart, M., K., Weimer, M.
  Epiphytic refugium Are two species of invading
  freshwater bivalves partitioning spatial
  resources? Biological Invasions, 6(1), 83-88.
• Depinto, V., J., Jagjit, K. (2000). The effect of
  zebra mussel son cycling and potential
  bioavailability of PCBs Case study of Saginaw
  Bay. United States Environmental Protection
  Agency

17
Works Cited

• Great Lakes Information Network. (2006). The
  great lakes. Retrieved March 3, 2006, from
  http//www.great-lakes.net/lakes/overview.
• Great Lakes Science Center, U.S. Department of
  the Interior.(2004). Zebra mussels. Retrieved 23
  Mar. 2006, from www.glsc.usgs.gov/main.php?content
  research_invasive_zebramusseltitle Invasive
  Invertebrates 0menuresearch_invasive_invertebrat
  es.
• Gulf of Maine Aquarium. (2003). Zebra mussels.
  Retrieved February 27, 2006, from
  http//www.gma.org/surfing/human/zebra.html.
• Muskegon Chronicle. (2006). New invasive species
  mussel threatens lakes. Retrieved March 1, 2006,
  from http//www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.
  ssf?/base/news-8/1140347793282570.xmlcoll8.

18
Works Cited

• National Altas of the United States. ( 2006).
  Zebra mussels. Retrieved on 05 Apr. 2006, from
  ml.
• Pimental, D. Aquatic nuisance species in the New
  York state canal and Hudson River systems and the
  great lakes basin An economic and environmental
  assessment. Environmental Management, 35(5),
  692-702.
• Rhode Island Sea Grant. (1998). Zebra mussel an
  unwelcome visitor. Retrieved February 27, 2006,
  from http//seagrant.gso.uri.edu/factsheets/zebra_
  mussel.html.
• Trincoll Journal. (1997). The invasion of zebra
  mussels in north america. Retrieved February 24,
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  3.97/articles/cover.html.

19
Works Cited

• The Lake Huron Center for Coastal Conservation.
  (2004). Zebra mussels (dreissena polymorpha).
  Retrieved February 24, 2006, from
  http//www.lakehuron.on.ca/biodiversity/InvasiveS
  pecies/zebra-mussels.asp.
• U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological
  Survey. (2005). Nonindigenous aquatic species.
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  gov/taxgroup/mollusks/default.asp.
• Village of Lindenhurst. Retrieved on 05 Apr.
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  http//www.lindenhurstil.org/lakescom/Images/Minut
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• Wikipedia. (2006). Zebra mussel. Retrieved March
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