Zebra Mussels
Zebra mussels are a small freshwater mussel native to the lakes of southern Russia, deriving their name from the striped pattern typically found on their shells. Other possible patterns include white shell with brown edges as well as brown shells with white highlights. They were first described and recorded by a german zoologist by the name of Peter Simon Pallas in the year 1769 (USGS. 2015). Zebra mussels can still be found in Russian rivers but have also been accidentally introduced to lakes and rivers throughout the world by boats traveling internationally (NOAA, n.d). They were first discovered in the great lakes in 1988 (USGS. 2015).
An invasive species is any non native species that has the potential to damage or destroy an ecosystem or environment, as well as human economy or well being (NNSS. 2015). Invasive …show more content…
One very notable impact that zebra mussels have a giant impact on the way that nutrients and energy flows through the food web. A study conducted by the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (1991) showed that “Saginaw Bay's energy base is no longer dominated by phytoplankton because these microscopic, free-floating plant cells are choice food for zebra mussels, which are able to selectively filter the cells out of the water.” Many of the fish in the great lakes rely on the phytoplankton for food, and by lowering the population, the population of fish in the lakes will also drop, causing reduced revenue for fishing industries and hits to the biodiversity of the lakes. In addition to that, zebra mussels also grow in, and clog water intake pipes used for drinking water and energy generation (Citation Needed). Damage from zebra mussels cost Ontario alone around 80$ million a year. Note that even though the study was only conducted in Saginaw bay, the ecosystem is large enough to closely relate depict the effects of zebra mussels on the great lakes
Zebra mussels are a small freshwater mussel native to the lakes of southern Russia, deriving their name from the striped pattern typically found on their shells. Other possible patterns include white shell with brown edges as well as brown shells with white highlights. They were first described and recorded by a german zoologist by the name of Peter Simon Pallas in the year 1769 (USGS. 2015). Zebra mussels can still be found in Russian rivers but have also been accidentally introduced to lakes and rivers throughout the world by boats traveling internationally (NOAA, n.d). They were first discovered in the great lakes in 1988 (USGS. 2015).
An invasive species is any non native species that has the potential to damage or destroy an ecosystem or environment, as well as human economy or well being (NNSS. 2015). Invasive …show more content…
One very notable impact that zebra mussels have a giant impact on the way that nutrients and energy flows through the food web. A study conducted by the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (1991) showed that “Saginaw Bay's energy base is no longer dominated by phytoplankton because these microscopic, free-floating plant cells are choice food for zebra mussels, which are able to selectively filter the cells out of the water.” Many of the fish in the great lakes rely on the phytoplankton for food, and by lowering the population, the population of fish in the lakes will also drop, causing reduced revenue for fishing industries and hits to the biodiversity of the lakes. In addition to that, zebra mussels also grow in, and clog water intake pipes used for drinking water and energy generation (Citation Needed). Damage from zebra mussels cost Ontario alone around 80$ million a year. Note that even though the study was only conducted in Saginaw bay, the ecosystem is large enough to closely relate depict the effects of zebra mussels on the great lakes