Influence of physicochemical factors on the distribution and biomass of invasive mussels (Dreissena polymorpha and Dreissena bugensis) in the St. Lawrence River

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
pp. 1953-1962 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa A Jones ◽  
Anthony Ricciardi
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Calcium Concentration ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Stepwise Multiple Regression ◽  
Quagga Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Bugensis ◽  
Quagga Mussels ◽  
Substrate Size ◽  
St Lawrence River

Twenty sites along the St. Lawrence River were sampled to determine if the distribution and abundance of invasive mussels (zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) and quagga mussel (Dreissena bugensis)) are explained by physicochemical variables. Calcium concentration, substrate size, and depth independently explained significant proportions of variation in biomass for both species. Zebra mussel populations occurred at calcium levels as low as 8 mg Ca·L–1, but quagga mussels were absent below 12 mg Ca·L–1, suggesting that they have higher calcium requirements. Both species increased in biomass with increasing substrate size but displayed contrasting patterns with depth. Using combinations of these environmental variables, we developed stepwise multiple regression models to predict zebra mussel biomass and quagga mussel biomass. The zebra mussel model included calcium concentration, substrate size, and depth (r2 = 0.36, P < 0.0001), while the quagga mussel model included only substrate size and depth (r2 = 0.32, P < 0.0001). These results suggest that dreissenid mussel abundance (and correlated impacts) will vary predictably across environmental gradients, but the same predictive model will not be accurate for both species.

Aerial exposure tolerance off zebra and quagga mussels (Bivalvia: Dreissenidae): implications for overland dispersal

1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 470-477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Ricciardi ◽  
Robert Serrouya ◽  
Frederick G. Whoriskey
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Depth Distribution ◽  
Quagga Mussel ◽  
Relative Depth ◽  
Aerial Exposure ◽  
Dreissena Bugensis ◽  
Quagga Mussels ◽  
Weight Losses ◽  
St Lawrence River

We examined the effects of ambient temperature (10, 20, and 30 °C) and relative humidity (10, 50, and 95% RH) on the aerial exposure tolerance of adult zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) and quagga mussel (D. bugensis) collected from the St. Lawrence River. Survivorship of mussels in air significantly increased with increasing RH, decreasing temperature, and increasing mussel size. At 20 °C and 50% RH (early temperate summer conditions), large (21–28 mm) D. polymorpha survived more than 5 days exposure, whereas small (10–18 mm) D. polymorpha survived 1–3 days. Seventy-three percent of large D. polymorpha and 10% of small D. polymorpha survived 10 days exposure at conditions considered optimal for survivorship (10 °C and 95% RH). Survivorship of D. bugensis was tested at 20 °C and was 15–100% lower than that of D. polymorpha at all RH levels combined with exposures less than 5 days. Dreissena bugensis also suffered significantly higher percent weight losses because of desiccation than D. polymorpha. The differences in the desiccation tolerance of zebra and quagga mussels reflect their relative depth distribution in lakes. Our results suggest that, given temperate summer conditions, adult Dreissena may survive overland transport (e.g., on small trailered boats) to any location within 3–5 days' drive of infested waterbodies.

Chaetogaster limnaei (Annelida: Oligochaeta) as a parasite of the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha, and the quagga mussel Dreissena bugensis (Mollusca: Bivalvia)

1996 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Bruce Conn ◽  
Anthony Ricciardi ◽  
Mohan N. Babapulle ◽  
Kristine A. Klein ◽  
David A. Rosen
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Quagga Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Bugensis

Field biomonitoring using the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha and the quagga mussel Dreissena bugensis following immunotoxic reponses. Is there a need to separate the two species?

2018 ◽  
Vol 238 ◽  
pp. 706-716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauris Evariste ◽  
Elise David ◽  
Pierre-Luc Cloutier ◽  
Pauline Brousseau ◽  
Michel Auffret ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Quagga Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Bugensis

Limits to tolerance of temperature and salinity in the quagga mussel (Dreissena bugensis) and the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha)

1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (10) ◽  
pp. 2108-2119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian P. Spidle ◽  
Bernie May ◽  
Edward L. Mills
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Temperature Limit ◽  
Acclimation Temperature ◽  
Quagga Mussel ◽  
Interspecific Difference ◽  
Thermal Limit ◽  
Dreissena Bugensis ◽  
Upper Thermal Limit

The quagga mussel (Dreissena bugensis) and the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) were exposed to varied levels of salinity and temperature in the laboratory to compare the tolerance of each species to environmental stress. The zebra mussel could tolerate 30 °C for extended periods and higher temperatures (< 39 °C) for a period of hours depending on the acclimation temperature and the rate of temperature change. The upper thermal limit of the quagga mussel may be as low as 25 °C. Mussels of both species acclimated to 5 °C were less able to survive at high temperatures (30–39 °C) than mussels acclimated to 15 or 20 °C. The reduced upper temperature limit of the quagga mussel implies that it will not be able to expand as far south in North America as has the zebra mussel. Both D. bugensis and D. polymorpha were exposed to three concentrations of NaCl (5, 10, and 20‰) to test salinity tolerance. No individuals of either species survived beyond 18 days in salinities of 5‰ or higher. No interspecific difference occurred in salinity-induced mortality rate.

Occurrence of chironomid larvae (Paratanytarsus sp.) as commensals of dreissenid mussels (Dreissena polymorpha and D. bugensis)

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. 1159-1162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Ricciardi
Keyword(s):  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Mantle Cavity ◽  
Dreissena Bugensis ◽  
Chironomid Larvae ◽  
Quagga Mussels ◽  
Elliptio Complanata ◽  
Dreissenid Mussels ◽  
First Case ◽  
St Lawrence River

Up to 38% of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) and 10% of quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis) collected from the upper St. Lawrence River in July 1993 were invaded by larvae of the tanytarsine chironomid Paratanytarsus sp. Third- and fourth-instar larvae were found living in the mantle cavity around the gills, gonads, and siphonal tissues. The larvae were never observed feeding on these tissues, and no tissue damage was detected. Most frequently, a single Paratanytarsus sp. larva occurred in a mussel; otherwise, two to six larvae were found. Invaded mussels were significantly larger than co-occurring non-invaded mussels. No chironomid larvae were found in young-of-the-year dreissenids. This is the first case of a large-scale endosymbiotic association, apparently a form of inquiline commensalism, between chironomid larvae and dreissenid mussels. Paratanytarsus sp. larvae also occurred in unionid bivalves (Elliptio complanata, Lampsilis radiata, Anodonta cataracta), but at relatively lower frequencies.

A new molecular technique for identifying field collections of zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) and quagga mussel (Dreissena bugensis) veliger larvae applied to eastern Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and Lake Simcoe

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 194-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
W Trevor Claxton ◽  
Elizabeth G Boulding
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Pcr Primers ◽  
Quagga Mussel ◽  
Molecular Technique ◽  
Dreissena Bugensis ◽  
Lake Simcoe ◽  
Veliger Larvae

The veliger larvae of two introduced species of bivalves, the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) and the quagga mussel (Dreissena bugensis), are difficult or impossible to tell apart morphologically. We have developed specific dreissenid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers from dreissenid bivalve DNA sequences, which amplify a region of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I mitochondrial gene. Non-dreissenid mtDNA, as found in field-collected veliger samples, was not amplified by these new PCR primers. The DNA sequence of this region distinguishes zebra mussel from quagga mussel larvae. Restriction digests of this region using the enzyme ScrFI showed no intraspecies variation in restriction pattern. We used this technique to distinguish the species of veliger larvae collected in eastern Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and Lake Simcoe. In our limited study, no quagga mussel larvae were found in Lake Simcoe, suggesting that this mussel species has not yet spread to the Kawartha Lake system. No zebra mussel larvae were found in either Lake Erie or Lake Ontario. These preliminary results add to the growing evidence that the quagga mussel is replacing the zebra mussel in parts of the lower Great Lakes.

Colonization, Ecology, and Population Structure of the "Quagga'' Mussel (Bivalvia: Dreissenidae) in the Lower Great Lakes

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (11) ◽  
pp. 2305-2314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward L. Mills ◽  
Ron M. Dermott ◽  
Edward F. Roseman ◽  
Donna Dustin ◽  
Eric Mellina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
New York State ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Quebec City ◽  
Quagga Mussel ◽  
Eastern Basin ◽  
St Lawrence River

An invasive dreissenid mussel given the working name of "quagga" has a present (spring 1993) distribution in the Laurentian Great Lakes from the western basin of Lake Erie to Quebec City. In Lake Erie, quaggas were collected as early as 1989 and now are most common in the eastern basin. In Lakes Erie and Ontario, proportions of quaggas increased with depth and decreasing water temperature. In the eastern basin of Lake Erie, quaggas outnumbered zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) by 14 to 1 in deeper waters (>20 m). In Lake Ontario, quaggas were observed at depths as great as 130 m, and both quagga and zebra mussel were found to survive at depths (>50 m) where temperatures rarely exceed 5 °C. Quaggas were sparse or absent along inland waterways and lakes of New York State. Mean shell size of quagga mussel was larger than that of zebra mussel at sites in the Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River. The largest quaggas (38 mm) were observed in the St. Lawrence River at Cape Vincent.

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