Zebra Mussel Research Paper

The fem ales lay over one million eggs in one spawning. They are very effcient filter-feeders. They pull nutrients directly from the water at a very high rate. One Zebra Mussels can filter about a quart of water per day therefore, reducing the amount of phytoplankton available for other organisms like native mussels, fish and other lake animals. They out compete the native mussels species for the same resources. The Zebra Mussels filtration of phytoplankton causes a negative effect from the increased water clairity that results to the ecological structures of the lake community. However, some organisms benefit from the arrival of the Zebra Mussels. One is the red-breasted sunfish .With the increased clarity it allows in more sunlight which give more growth that provides food and shelter to other organisms that fish like to eat. But the bad out weighs the good that Zebra Mussels

Today, what once was a scenic lake is covered in chest-high weeds. “ Boaters and fisherman enjoy going to Lake Bridgeport during the summer. But in the summer of 2013 the boat ramps were unusable so the number of residents going to the lake dropped. There are dead fish floating to the shoreline as well as many other wildlife animals. The lake tested positive for Zebra Mussel larva, which is shell like creatures that are very sharp and stick to boats, anchors and docks. The Mussels are very dangerous for the lake environment, but they also eat bacteria so they could help the lake water clear up. If no water is drained out of Lake Bridgeport then the residents of Eagle Mountain Lake and Lake Worth could possibly run out of drinking water.

As well as pollution, invasive species are damaging the lake ecosystems and food chains, made fragile by pollution and overfishing. The introduction of a new species throws off the balance of food chains. Some common invasive species include the sea lamprey, Asian carp, and zebra mussels, among many others. Zebra mussels have dramatically influenced and affected stable food chains by reducing the amount of zooplankton and phytoplankton. This presents a problem, as fish mostly feed on the drifters, and so they go hungry and die, leaving no food for larger fish to prey on. In addition to underwater disruption, it affects us as well, but only slightly. Plankton and algae especially are the most productive aquatic producers of oxygen, and by the decreasing population, we lose oxygen as well. The sea lamprey is also a problem, though it is not so influential to ecosystems as the zebra mussel.

     Colonization by zebra mussels has devastating ecological impacts on native bivalves (Mackie, 1991; Haag et al., 1993), frequently driving them to local extinction. Zebra mussels readily, perhaps preferentially, settle on native bivalves and eventually cover them over. They filter the water so efficiently that they can lower the amount of suspended food organisms below levels needed to sustain native unionids.

The signs are plastered where everyone can see, “Clean, Drain, Dry your boat!” these words have become so well known, we are starting to forget their importance. The invasion of Zebra mussels into America’s waters has tremendously grown over the past several years and now, we are finally able to turn the tide on these treacherous creatures.

Some people may claim that zebra mussels are not a widespread threat. They may argue that the species affects only a small area. However, a disruption of a food chain is a major threat to all the animals-and people-in the environment.

At the bottom of the Missouri's streams lives the Lampsilis siliquoidea mussels where it lives out its life cycle. How it lives it's brilliant life cycle is first by luring a smallmouth bass over to it by copycatting the movement and the appearance of a Tartars fish tail which is actually the skin of the mussels which has over time evolved. Once the bass notices the lure and strikes the lure the muscle spews out a white cloud into the bass's mouth and gills which happen to be thousands of larvaes where they will live off the bass for nutrients. Its also safer for them to transition from larvae into juvenile mussels. After a couple of weeks the young mussels abandon the bass dropping leaving the basses unharmed and unaware of what happened making

The Holocaust was a tragic event that traumatized millions around the world forever. From broken hearts to family deaths, we will never forget those who lived through these haunting times. Those who lived in concentration camps were locked up, and yelled at everyday to do specific things one way. Otherwise, they would be killed. Since the camps were so full of people, diseases spread easily and food was scarce. The prisoners throughout the camp then began to starve and die off. From this derived the term of the “musselmen”. A musselmen is a prisoner of a concentration camp that is neglectful towards their appearance, and are inactive or dementive. As time continued on, starvation and disease throughout the camps caused many changes in the prisoners, which led them to become musselmen. The changes within these musselmen included a drastic difference in their appearance, mental state, and how their disease tortured them as they drifted between life and death.

In my ecology project the invasive species that interested me the most was the zebra mussel. In this report, I will be addressing the negative impacts that zebra mussels have on an ecosystem and the positive impacts of human actions on those ecosystems.

First, the article states that pollution of ocean by industrial chemicals, oil rings caused to decrease otters' population. Otters cannot survive polluted ocean since their resistance ability cannot afford it. So, they died because of pollution. In contrast, the professor believes that pollution should kill other spicies in the ocean. However, population of other spicies is stable. Furthermore, there is no evidence that ocean is polluted. If ocean had been polluted, there would be huge effect on

Ever since a young age, I have been extremely interested in ocean life. Due to annual summer beach trips, I was exposed to aquatic life often as a child and became very comfortable in and around water. My interest in the ocean is the main reason that I can see myself as a marine biologist in the future. Another trait of mine that contributed to this career choice is that I enjoy working with others, but also work well independently. For this reason, I want career where I can collaborate ideas among my coworkers, but also work on independent projects or investigations. In addition, I will enjoy a career where I can interact with other people and animals, rather than work strictly in an office. I also enjoy science classes, including chemistry

With the increasing amount of disturbed habitats, invasive species could soon become the leading cause of ecological degradation (Soulé & Orians, 2001).  Invasive species can alter habitats in a number of ways.  Changes in the physical structure of the land are the most visually obvious.  Examples include narrowing stream channels, reducing sand supply to dunes, and stabilizing surfaces such as mudflats, and each invasive species goes about these changes in their own way.  For instance, the burrowing activities of Australian isopods cause the banks of tidal channels to collapse, leading to the widening of channels and the loss of vegetated salt marsh (Cox, 1999).  On the other hand, Japanese mussels that have invaded the San Diego area are stabilizing mudflats.  Although reaching Southern California in the 1960s,

In 2014, Excelsior Brewing Co. of Minnesota launched a beer with two unusual ingredients- Zebra Mussels and Eurasian Water Milfoil. The milfoil and the shells of the mussels in the beer don’t provide flavor, but are more for the novelty (Smith, 2014). But why would people ever pay money to drink beer with seaweed in it? To help get the Zebra Mussels and Eurasian Water Milfoil out of their lakes. These are two of the worst aquatic invasive species in Minnesota, and are a huge problem in lakes like Lake Minnetonka, where the milfoil and mussels were gathered for the novelty brew. If the issue with invasive species in Minnesota waters is not addressed, they could become a permanent part of our lakes, harming native species, as well as being very

Recently zebra mussels from Black Sea, stowed away in ballast water ships, invaded North American waters, they blocked the water lines of factories, nuclear power plants in the regions of Great Lakes. Just after the arrival of Christopher Columbus’s ships in America in 15th century resulted in worldwide exchange of disease, crops and animals in the 20th century practice of ships using water as ballast helped to unite the formerly diverse world’s harbours. Similarly, air transport allows the spread of insects and diseases that would not easily survive

First off, Because of their design with the razor sharp shells, Zebra Mussels is known to injure swimmers and people who walk on top of them. Another problem with the zebra Mussels is that they reproduce at an extremely rapid rate. Causing them to be uncontrollable in most instances. Zebra Mussels latch onto any solid object, and live perfect on any solid object. For example, they live and bread radically on boat ramps. (NOBANIS –Invasive Alien Species Fact Sheet) Making for boaters who are trying to unload their boat a more difficult job since they have to be more diligent when in the water next to them. Another problem with zebra mussels is that they compete with fish for food. Zebra mussels consume up to a liter of water a day, consuming tons of plankton and other microorganism. (Zebra Mussels (Dreissena