Physiological energetics of Lake Erie dreissenid mussels: a basis for the displacement of Dreissena polymorpha by Dreissena bugensis

2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 126-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Stoeckmann
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Shell Growth ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Sympatric Populations ◽  
Dreissena Bugensis ◽  
Quagga Mussels ◽  
Respiration Rates ◽  
Western Lake

I measured respiration, shell growth, body mass, and reproduction in sympatric populations of zebra (Dreissena polymorpha) and quagga (Dreissena bugensis) mussels in western Lake Erie to determine if the species differ in physiological parameters and if any differences provide an explanation for the recent displacement of zebra mussels by quagga mussels. Between May and August, I measured respiration (1998), shell growth of marked mussels suspended in cages in the lake (1999–2000), soft body mass and mass of gametes released (1998–2001), and the number of gametes released by individual mussels (1999). Quagga mussels had lower respiration rates and greater shell growth and body mass. There was no difference in the percentage of spawning mussels or the number of sperm released by individuals, but zebra mussels generally released more eggs and a greater mass of gametes than did quagga mussels. Similar reproduction at a lower body mass indicates that zebra mussels devote a greater proportion of body tissue to reproduction. Lower respiration rates and larger size give quagga mussels a competitive advantage and may explain their displacement of zebra mussels.

A seasonal energy budget for zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) in western Lake Erie

1997 ◽  
Vol 54 (12) ◽  
pp. 2743-2751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann M Stoeckmann ◽  
David W Garton
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Energy Budget ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Shell Growth ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Metabolic Costs ◽  
Western Lake Erie

We constructed a balanced energy budget for zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) from the western basin of Lake Erie during the active growth and reproductive season (May-October). We measured metabolic costs (oxygen consumption and ammonia excretion), body mass change, and feces production weekly and marked mussels to quantify shell growth. Costs of reproduction were measured by inducing spawning four times using serotonin and collecting gametes. After conversion to calories, all energy budget components were combined with published length-frequency distributions and mussel densities to estimate population consumption. We estimated that individual zebra mussel consumption averaged 3.16 cal ·day-1 (1 cal = 4.1868 J). Metabolic costs account for >90% of energy consumption. Mussels <15 mm increased in body mass whereas mussels >15 mm allocated energy to reproduction in lieu of somatic growth. Our estimates of population consumption were sensitive to mussel size distribution, with the most abundant size-class responsible for the greatest proportion of population consumption. Based on published estimates for primary production in western Lake Erie, our energy budget estimated that zebra mussels (10 000 - 50 000 mussels ·m-2) potentially consume an equivalent of 10-50% of summer primary production.

Deepwater population structure and reproductive state of quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis) in Lake Erie

1997 ◽  
Vol 54 (10) ◽  
pp. 2428-2433 ◽  
Author(s):  
S L Roe ◽  
H J MacIsaac
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Gonadal Development ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Reproductive State ◽  
Dreissena Bugensis ◽  
Frequency Distributions ◽  
Quagga Mussels

Quagga mussel (Dreissena bugensis) population structure and reproductive status were assessed at deepwater (37 and 55 m) sites in eastern Lake Erie during July 1996. Mussels occupied ~70% of soft substrates at 37-m sites and between 63 and 90% at 55-m sites. Shell length and dry mass frequency distributions were similar at both sites, although recruits <<= 5 mm comprised a larger proportion of the population at the deeper site. The population surveyed here allocated disproportionately less mass to shell and more to soft tissues relative to zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) from shallow-water sites in eastern Lake Erie and from Lake St. Clair. The population at 55 m was slightly skewed toward male mussels (58%). Female mussels that were examined for reproductive state contained mature oocytes (80%) or had spent gonads (20%). Because water temperature at the site was only 4.8°C, this survey provides the first evidence of gonadal development and spawning by quagga mussels at low temperature. These findings contrast with most reports of spawning by congeneric zebra mussels at temperatures >=>12°C but are consistent with distributions of the species in different basins of the lake.

Projected Changes to the Trophodynamics of PCBs in the Western Lake Erie Ecosystem Attributed to the Presence of Zebra Mussels (Dreissena polymorpha)

1998 ◽  
Vol 32 (24) ◽  
pp. 3862-3867 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather A. Morrison ◽  
Frank A. P. C. Gobas ◽  
Rodica Lazar ◽  
D. Michael Whittle ◽  
G. Douglas Haffner
Keyword(s):  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Projected Changes ◽  
Western Lake Erie

scholarly journals Zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) selective filtration promoted toxic Microcystis blooms in Saginaw Bay (Lake Huron) and Lake Erie

2001 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 1208-1221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry A Vanderploeg ◽  
James R Liebig ◽  
Wayne W Carmichael ◽  
Megan A Agy ◽  
Thomas H Johengen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Laboratory Strain ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Lake Huron ◽  
Feeding Rates ◽  
Saginaw Bay ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Filtering Rates

Microcystis aeruginosa, a planktonic colonial cyanobacterium, was not abundant in the 2-year period before zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) establishment in Saginaw Bay (Lake Huron) but became abundant in three of five summers subsequent of mussel establishment. Using novel methods, we determined clearance, capture, and assimilation rates for zebra mussels feeding on natural and laboratory M. aeruginosa strains offered alone or in combination with other algae. Results were consistent with the hypothesis that zebra mussels promoted blooms of toxic M. aeruginosa in Saginaw Bay, western Lake Erie, and other lakes through selective rejection in pseudofeces. Mussels exhibited high feeding rates similar to those seen for a highly desirable food alga (Cryptomonas) with both large ( >53 µm) and small (<53 µm) colonies of a nontoxic and a toxic laboratory strain of M. aeruginosa known to cause blockage of feeding in zooplankton. In experiments with naturally occurring toxic M. aeruginosa from Saginaw Bay and Lake Erie and a toxic isolate from Lake Erie, mussels exhibited lowered or normal filtering rates with rejection of M. aeruginosa in pseudofeces. Selective rejection depended on "unpalatable" toxic strains of M. aeruginosa occurring as large colonies that could be rejected efficiently while small desirable algae were ingested.

Elimination rate constants of 36 PCBs in zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) and exposure dynamics in the Lake St. Clair - Lake Erie corridor

1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (12) ◽  
pp. 2574-2582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Morrison ◽  
Rodica Lazar ◽  
G. Douglas Haffner ◽  
Tamara Yankovich
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Rate Constants ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Elimination Rate ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Elimination Kinetics ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Kinetics Of

The elimination kinetics of 36 PCB congeners, ranging in log octanol–water partition coefficients (log Kow) from 5.60 to 7.50, were determined in zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) with shell lengths from 1.0 to 1.5 cm. Elimination rate constants, based on lipid-normalized data, ranged from 0.172 to 0.042 day−1 and exhibited a significant negative regression with log Kow. Time to 95% steady state ranged from 17.5 to 71.0 days and was used to determine the period over which mussels integrated exposure concentrations. Bioavailable PCB congener concentrations, calculated with a steady-state model, were determined from mussels collected offshore of Middle Sister Island in western Lake Erie. Chemical concentrations in water, estimated using mussels, were within an order of magnitude of direct measurements for congeners with log Kow < 6.6. The rapid elimination kinetics of zebra mussels suggests that these organisms can closely track temporal fluctuations in ambient chemical concentrations, and therefore have the potential to regulate contaminant cycling in aquatic ecosystems.

Effects of the exotic zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) on metal cycling in Lake Erie

1997 ◽  
Vol 54 (7) ◽  
pp. 1630-1638 ◽  
Author(s):  
P L Klerks ◽  
P C Fraleigh ◽  
J E Lawniczak
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Metal Levels ◽  
Lake Bottom ◽  
The Impact

This research demonstrated the impact of high densities of the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) on the cycling of copper, nickel, and zinc in a lake environment. Experiments with mussels on sedimentation traps in western Lake Erie and with mussels in flow-through tanks receiving Lake Erie water showed that zebra mussels remove metals from the water column, incorporate metals in their tissues, and deposit metals on the lake bottom. Removal of metals from the water column was estimated at 10-17% · day-1 of the amounts present. This material was largely deposited on the lake bottom; zebra mussels more than doubled the rate at which metals were being added to the lake bottom. Metal biodeposition rates were extremely high (e.g., 50 mg Zn · m-2 · day-1) in high-turbidity areas with elevated metal levels. Two factors contributed to metal biodeposition by zebra mussels. First, their production of feces and pseudofeces increased the rate at which suspended matter was being added to the sediment (accounting for 92% of the increased metal biodeposition). Second, the material coming out of suspension had higher metal concentrations when zebra mussels were present (constituting 8% of the increased biodeposition).

Dramatic Decline of Unionid Bivalves in Offshore Waters of Western Lake Erie After Infestation by the Zebra Mussel, Dreissena polymorpha

1994 ◽  
Vol 51 (10) ◽  
pp. 2234-2242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Don W. Schloesser ◽  
Thomas F. Nalepa
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Laurentian Great Lakes ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Dramatic Decline ◽  
Heavy Infestation ◽  
Western Lake Erie

Unionid bivalves and attached epizoic zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) were collected at one index station in 1989, 1990, and 1991 and at 17 stations in 1991 in offshore waters of western Lake Erie of the Laurentian Great Lakes. Sampling at the index station revealed that the proportion of live unionids declined from 53% in September 1989 to 17% in May–June 1990 and to 0% in September 1990: this 100% mortality coincided with heavy infestation by zebra mussels. Quantitative sampling with a Ponar grab at the 17 stations in 1991 revealed a widespread and dramatic reduction in unionid populations. In 1982, five unionid species occurred at 35% of the stations at a density of 4/m2, whereas in 1991, no live unionid species were found. Qualitative sampling with an epibenthic sled at the 17 stations in 1991 yielded only 4 live specimens of 2 species (Amblema plicata plicata and Fusconaia flava) and 187 dead specimens of 10 species. These and other results indicate that unionid populations are being negatively affected by zebra mussels in the Great Lakes. Similar impacts on unionids are expected to occur where zebra mussels become abundant throughout North America.

scholarly journals The impact of dreissenid mussels on growth of the fragile papershell (Leptodea fragilis), the most abundant unionid species in Lake Erie

2015 ◽  
Vol 93 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Krebs ◽  
Elizabeth M. Barkett ◽  
Matthew T. Begley
Keyword(s):  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Freshwater Mussel ◽  
Species Competition ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Dreissena Bugensis ◽  
Byssal Thread ◽  
Quagga Mussels ◽  
Dreissenid Mussels ◽  
The Impact

The arrival of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771)) and subsequently quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis Andrusov, 1897) (Dreissenidae) in the Great Lakes in the 1980s induced many changes, most notably the devastation of native freshwater mussel species. Recently, empty shells of the fragile papershell (Leptodea fragilis (Rafinesque, 1820)) have become common, particularly in the western basin of Lake Erie, suggesting that this fast-growing species may be increasing in numbers in the lake. To examine continued competition with dreissenids, shell age and length of L. fragilis were used to contrast lifespan and growth rate, estimated as the slope of age on shell length, for shells from two beach localities where byssal threads were present on most shells and two sites where dreissenids were rare or absent. Few recent shells from Lake Erie beaches exceeded 5 years of age, and byssal thread counts were more numerous on older shells. Growth and lifespan were estimated to be significantly lower where dreissenid mussels remained numerous than when measured either from historic collections along Lake Erie or from protected populations. Therefore, even for this early-reproducing species, competition from dreissenids may continue to interfere with growth and shorten lifespan, which are effects few other unionid species can likely tolerate sufficiently to sustain population growth.

Filtering impacts of larval and sessile zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) in western Lake Erie

Oecologia ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh J. MacIsaac ◽  
Gary Sprules ◽  
Ora E. Johannson ◽  
J. H. Leach
Keyword(s):  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Western Lake Erie

Sources of bias in the use of shell fragments to estimate the size of zebra and quagga mussels (Dreissena polymorpha and Dreissena bugensis)

1999 ◽  
Vol 77 (6) ◽  
pp. 910-916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy S Mitchell ◽  
Robert C Bailey ◽  
Richard W Knapton
Keyword(s):  
Shell Length ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Shell Morphology ◽  
Selective Predation ◽  
Dreissena Bugensis ◽  
Quagga Mussels ◽  
Length Relationship ◽  
Mussel Shells ◽  
Study Sites

Several researchers have examined size-selective predation on dreissenid mussels by first measuring septa from crushed mussel shells found in predators' gastrointestinal tracts and then using a regression of septum length on shell length to infer the size of consumed mussels. We examine three assumptions made when using this approach: (1) that the shell length : septum length relationship is site-independent within the study area, (2) where both zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) and quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis) are present, that the shell length : septum length relationship is the same for both mussel species, and (3) that the predator foraged exclusively at the site of collection. We collected mussels at 6 sites along an 8-km stretch of Lake Erie shoreline and found that the shell length : septum length relationship varied significantly both among sites and between zebra mussels and quagga mussels. We then compared the regression for quagga mussels at one of these sites with that for intact valves of mussels taken from scaup (Aythya marila, Aythya affinis) collected at the site. Although ice cover at the time of collection restricted scaup to the site while foraging within the study area, regressions were again significantly different, i.e., scaup had been foraging elsewhere. Our results indicate that for at least some study sites, the use of septa to estimate dreissenid mussel size is not appropriate. However, when intact valves are found in a predator, variation in shell morphology can help to confirm or exclude possible foraging locales.

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