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The
zebra mussel is a small freshwater mussel.
The species was originally native to the lakes of southern Russia and
Ukraine, but has been accidentally introduced to numerous other areas and has
become an invasive species in many countries worldwide. By the 1980s, the species had invaded the
Great Lakes, Hudson River, and Lake Travis.
The species was first described in
1769 by German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas in the Ural, Volga, and Dnieper
Rivers. Zebra mussels get their name
from a striped pattern commonly seen on their shells, though it is not
universally present. They are usually
about the size of a fingernail, but can grow to a maximum length around
2 in (5.1 cm). Shells are
D-shaped, and attached to the substrate with strong filamented fibers, which
come out of their oldest point of the valve on the dorsal (hinged) side.
These mussels have a long history of
invasion and have successfully established in Great Britain (1824), The
Netherlands (1827), The Czech Republic (1893), Sweden (1920), Italy (1973),
the Great Lakes in the USA (1988), and California (2008). Quagga mussels were first found in the USA
in the Great Lakes in 1989, Nevada in 2007, and California in 2008. Ballast water discharge from transoceanic
ships is thought to be responsible for the long distance spread of zebra and
quagga mussels from their original home ranges in eastern Europe. Short distance spread between fresh
waterways within countries most likely occurs via the movement of recreational
boats. This occurs when boats are not
cleaned and dried adequately and contaminated watercraft are then moved from
infested waterways to pristine water bodies where mussels are accidentally
introduced. These mussels can survive
for 3-5 days out of water without suffering lethal desiccation.
Where quagga and zebra mussels are
found together quagga mussels may outcompete zebra mussels. But quagga mussels can flourish at depths
greater than the zebra mussels and they are also are more tolerant of colder
water.
Invasions of the mussels have had
ruinous impacts where they became established. They clog water intake structures that then increases
maintenance costs for water treatment and power plants. Recreational activities on lakes and
rivers are adversely affected as mussels accumulate.
The shells of both mussel species are
sharp and can cut people, which forces the wearing of shoes when walking
along infested beaches or over rocks.
Mussels adhering to boat hulls can increase drag, affect boat
steering, and clog engines, all of which can lead to overheating and engine
malfunctions. Ecological problems
also result from mussel invasions.
Zebra and quagga mussels can kill native freshwater mussels in two
ways: (1) attachment to the shells of native species can kill them, and (2)
these invasive species can outcompete native mussels and other filter feeding
invertebrates for food. This problem
has been particularly acute in some areas of the USA that have a very rich
diversity of native freshwater mussel species.
These mussels have been associated with avian botulism
outbreaks in the Great Lakes which have caused the mortality of tens of
thousands of birds. Because of their
filter feeding habit, it has been estimated that these mussels can acquire
organic pollutants in their tissues by as much as 300,000 times when compared
to concentrations in the water in which they are living. Therefore, these pollutants can increase
as they are passed up the food chain when contaminated mussels are eaten by
predators (e.g., fish and crayfish), who in turn are eaten by other organisms
(e.g., recreational fishermen who eat contaminated fish.). High mussel populations can increase water
acidity and decrease concentrations of dissolved oxygen.
Invasions by quagga and zebra mussels
have been documented as having some positive affects on receiving
ecosystems. For example, filtration
of water by mussels as they extract food removes particulate matter. This filtration has improved water
clarity, and reduced the eutrophication of polluted lakes. In some instances these improvements may
have benefited local fishing industries.
Conversely, improved water clarity allows penetration of light to greater
depths which can alter the species composition of aquatic plant communities
and associated ecosystems. This
improved water quality is thought to aid algal blooms that get washed ashore
where they rot making recreational beaches unusable. Furthermore, the removal of phytoplankton
may leave other aquatic animals without sufficient food.
Dr. Mark Hoddle of the University of
California reported that invasion success in some areas of California may be
affected by water chemistry.
Waterways around the Sierra Nevada mountains may have insufficient
calcium (an element needed for shell growth) and some lakes in northeast
California may be too salty for mussel survival. However, probably most freshwater areas in California will be
able to sustain zebra and quagga mussels.
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