Removal of algae by the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) population in western Lake Erie: a bioenergetics approach

1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 381-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles P. Madenjian
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Mussel Population ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Bioenergetics Model ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Western Lake Erie

A bioenergetics model for growth of a zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) individual was verified with observations on zebra mussel growth in western Lake Erie. The bioenergetics model was then applied to the zebra mussel population in the western basin of Lake Erie to estimate the removal of phytoplankton by mussels. According to the modeling results, the zebra mussel population consumed 5.0 million tonnes of phytoplankton, while 1.4 million tonnes of phytoplankton was deposited in pseudofeces from the mussels. Thus, a total of 6.4 ± 2.4 million tonnes of phytoplankton was removed from the water column by zebra mussel in western Lake Erie during 1990. Primary production was estimated to be 24.8 million tonnes; therefore, zebra mussel removed the equivalent of 26 ± 10% of the primary production for western Lake Erie.

Impacts of zebra mussel on walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) reproduction in western Lake Erie

1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 578-586 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Fitzsimons ◽  
J. H. Leach ◽  
S. J. Nepszy ◽  
V. W. Cairns
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Egg Viability ◽  
Egg Deposition ◽  
Adverse Impacts ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Young Of The Year ◽  
Total Coverage ◽  
Western Lake Erie

A walleye spawning shoal (Sunken Chicken Reef) in western Lake Erie was sampled during the spring of 1990 and 1991 to assess the abundance of the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha and to determine its impact on walleye reproduction. Mussel abundance ranged from 76 500/m2 at 1.5 m depth to 344 300/m2 at 4.5 m depth at the shoal (1990). Despite the almost total coverage of spawning beds walleye continued to spawn at the shoal, with no apparent effect of the mussels on egg deposition, egg viability, and interstitial dissolved oxygen. Although preinvasion data for walleye egg deposition are not comparable to data from this study, deposition appears adequate based on good indices of recruitment of young-of-the-year walleye derived from resource agency trawling during 1990 and 1991. Thus there appears to have been no adverse impacts of zebra mussel on walleye reproduction in western Lake Erie during 1990 and 1991.

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.

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.

Increased deposition of organic matter, polychlorinated biphenyls, and cadmium by zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) in western Lake Erie

1998 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 1131-1139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan P Dobson ◽  
Gerald L Mackie
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Polychlorinated Biphenyls ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Unit Area ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Suspended Material ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Western Lake Erie

Biodeposition of organic matter, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and cadmium (Cd) by zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) was investigated at five stations in the western basin of Lake Erie during the summer of 1992. Biodeposition rates at the five stations were determined by using sediment traps and converted to per unit area values to facilitate comparisons with natural sedimentation rates. Biodeposition of suspended material by zebra mussels was up to 8 times greater than sedimentation in the traps. Concentrations of organic matter, PCBs, and Cd were determined for the biodeposits and the sedimented material. There were no significant differences in concentration of organic matter, PCBs, or Cd between the two types of material. Biodeposition rates per unit area of organic matter, PCBs, and Cd were 8-10 times greater than corresponding values for natural sedimentation; therefore, the natural sedimentation processes of these factors appear to be greatly accelerated in the presence of zebra mussels. Results support the possibility that zebra mussels are altering contaminant movement in western Lake Erie, as well as clarifying the water column by removing suspended material.

scholarly journals Ingestion of Small-Bodied Zooplankton by Zebra Mussels (Dreissena polymorpha): Can Cannibalism on Larvae Influence Population Dynamics?

1991 ◽  
Vol 48 (11) ◽  
pp. 2051-2060 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh J. Maclsaac ◽  
W. Gary Sprules ◽  
J. H. Leach
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Settlement Patterns ◽  
Larval Mortality ◽  
Larval Settlement ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Incidental Predation ◽  
Western Lake Erie

The zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha established populations in western Lake Erie in 1986 and achieved densities exceeding 3.4 × 105 individuals∙m−2 during 1990. We assessed apparently incidental predation on Lake Erie and Erindale Pond zooplankton by adult mussels. Dreissena larvae and small rotifers (Polyarthra spp., Keratella spp., Trichocerca) sustained moderate to high predatory mortality whereas larger taxa (Bosmina, Scapholeberis) were invulnerable to predation. Larval Dreissena almost always sustain > 99% mortality in European lakes. While mortality has been ascribed primarily to lack of suitable settling substrate and unfavourable environmental conditions, it may be confounded by larval predation by adults. We demonstrate using STELLA™-modelling that with a larval mortality rate of 99%, settled mussel densities observed in western Lake Erie during 1990 would not be achieved until at least 1994. A model that combines a lower rate (70%) of abiotic mortality with larval predation by adult mussels correctly predicts 1990 mussel densities. This model of Dreissena population growth is also consistent with larval settlement patterns in Lakes Erie and St. Clair and some European systems.

Pumping Rates and Projected Filtering Impacts of Juvenile Zebra Mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) in Western Lake Erie

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (5) ◽  
pp. 1017-1022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Bunt ◽  
Hugh J. Maclsaac ◽  
W. Gary Sprules
Keyword(s):  
Shell Length ◽  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Pumping Rate ◽  
Frequency Distributions ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Pumping Rates ◽  
Western Lake Erie

Small-bodied (2–11 mm), settled zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha Pallas) comprise up to 90% of individuals inhabiting reefs in western Lake Erie. We assessed pumping rates of these size classes of D. polymorpha by injecting an inert dye into inhalant filtering currents and monitoring exhalant flows using high-resolution videography. Pumping rates ranged between 0.20 and 4.45 mL∙ind−1∙h−1 and increased in relation to mussel shell length. Based on 1990 size–frequency distributions for reefs in western Lake Erie and our pumping rate – shell length regression, small settled D. polymorpha were theoretically capable of pumping between 39 and 96% of the water column daily. Small-bodied mussels inhabiting Sunken Chicken Reef were collectively capable of processing between 110 and 400% of the values previously reported for Daphnia. Recent changes in water quality in western Lake Erie could be primarily related to zebra mussel filtering activities, including those of small-bodied individuals.

Reduced Survival and Fitness in Native Bivalves in Response to Fouling by the Introduced Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) in Western Lake Erie

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendell R. Haag ◽  
David J. Berg ◽  
David W. Garton ◽  
Jerry L. Farris
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Life History Strategy ◽  
Shell Morphology ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Biochemical Indices ◽  
Western Lake Erie

Fouling by the recently established zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) causes differential effects among bivalve communities. In 3-mo experiments and surveys conducted in western Lake Erie during 1990, two native bivalves, Lampsilis radiata and Amblema plicata, showed consistent differences in mortality and biochemical indices of fitness in response to fouling by D. polymorpha. Lampsilis radiata was very sensitive to fouling, experiencing high mortality and reduced fitness in experiments and natural populations. In field experiments, female L. radiata suffered higher mortality and lower fitness than males. Amblema plicata was less sensitive to fouling; fitness was reduced in experimentally fouled A. plicata, but mortality and fitness in natural populations were not affected by D. polymorpha. Six species of native bivalves showed marked differences in mortality rates at three sites surveyed in western Lake Erie. Mortality was higher in the subfamilies Anodontinae and Lampsilinae (including L. radiata) than in Ambleminae (including A. plicata) at all three sites, suggesting that differences in life history strategy and shell morphology among subfamilies may be responsible for differential responses to fouling. These data suggest that fouling by D. polymorpha will result in profound changes in native bivalve community structure.

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