The veliger stage, in addition to the ability to breed within the first year of life (as well as aggressive feeding rates) allows zebra mussels to multiply and expand their territory rapidly.Īdult zebra mussels are able to attach to a wide range of substrates, including boats, boat trailers, or even algae. Zebra mussel veligers may float in the water column for up to a month, allowing for transportation in ballast water, irrigation water, or pipes for local water supply. First, zebra mussels possess a free-floating larval stage called a veliger stage. The mussels may also sink buoys, destroy fishing equipment, and take over objects left in the water for a long period of time.īiology: Zebra mussels are capable of invading new ecosystems through adaptive and anthropogenic factors. High cost has been associated with removing zebra mussels from intake pipes to power plants, piping associated with air conditioning, fire hoses, and many others as they constrict water flow. ![]() These byssal threads allow many zebra mussels to cluster together on various types of substrates including pipes, boats, boat trailers, buoys and dinghys. Due to their sessile nature, once the veliger larvae has bound to its substrate of choice, mussels develop into adults and are permanently secured via anchors known as byssal threads. Zebra mussels have the ability to adhere to just about any substrate. In addition to their ecological effects, zebra mussels have a negative impact on the economy. A zebra mussel colony can eventually smother a native mussel colony. Zebra mussels pose a real threat to native mussels by competing for food and attaching to their shells. Zebra mussels also feed on zooplankton, and have been associated with their declines as well. Once those strata disappear, so may the organisms. This may be deleterious, in that different organisms live within various strata of the water column. Increased sunlight penetration leads to increased water temperature as well as an increased Secchi depths (the depth that light penetrates underwater). Zebra mussels have a high rate of filtration (especially at high populations) which has led to increased water clarity and sunlight penetration by decreasing the amount of beneficial phytoplankton like diatoms and green algae. Millions of dollars are spent each year controlling, cleaning and monitoring zebra mussels in other states. ![]() ![]() Zebra mussels also damage boat hulls, plug water systems used in boat motors, air conditioners and heads and cause navigation buoys to sink. ![]() Zebra mussels have a salient zebra-like striped pattern on their shells, and also lie flat on a smooth surface, unlike many other mussels.Įcological Threat: Zebra mussels are known to have caused alarming declines in populations of fish, birds and native mussel species and can disrupt a city's entire water supply system by colonizing the insides of pipelines and restricting the flow of water. The native false dark mussel, Mytilopsis leucophaeata, is likely the only native mussel that can be confused with the zebra mussel. It is most likely to be confused with Dreissena bugensis, the Quagga mussel, which is also an introduced species to North America. A small mussel, with a maximum shell size from 3.5 - 4 centimeters, the zebra mussel is usually found in large clusters. The immediate goal is to curb the spread of these deleterious invaders. The invasive zebra mussel has quickly taken over much of the Great Lakes waterways of the United States.
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