How Do Zebra Mussels Filter

Every creature is fascinating in its own way, including zebra mussels. Each organism has something that makes information technology unique. Be information technology the glass houses of the diatoms, the air-permeable skin of frogs, or the intense complexity of the human being eye, every living thing has intrinsic involvement and intrigue.

Sometimes, though, that interest is overshadowed by frustration at the species or creature. That is one of a couple issues with the invasive zebra mussels. They are annoying, they are not pleasant to take effectually, and they do non look immediately interesting. Simply they, just like every other clade, kingdom or civilisation, are special in their own important ways. Permit's explore that a flake.

What is a zebra mussel?

Zebra mussels, or more specifically Dreissena polymorpha, are a species of freshwater bivalve.

They are native to the Blackness Sea and Caspian Sea in eastern Europe, and take two half-shells that they protect themselves with, only like their clam, oyster and scallop cousins. "Cousins" is a stretch, because the main divergence between clams and mussels are the shape of the beat; in fact, based on genetics, zebra mussels (and quagga mussels, which are sibling species) are more than closely related to several types of saltwater clams than they are any other mussel. Zebra mussels have a distinctly triangular shape instead of a rounded shape.

What do they eat?

Just like many other bivalves, zebra mussels are filter feeders.

They consume by sucking in water, filtering out all the particles, and spitting out what they practise not want (along with the water). For us, it would be like turning a piece of cake into crumbs and "breathing" them in instead of just taking a seize with teeth. After zebra mussels filter out all the particles from the water, they pick out their favorite $.25 similar fish feces, bits of decaying organic thing and microscopic organisms. What they pick out, they assimilate every bit food, and spit out the balance — including cyanobacteria (blueish-green algae).

That is one of the interesting things most zebra mussels. They can sort through what they want to swallow and spit out all the rest in a mucous-covered mess, and they exercise not fifty-fifty have hands! Nosotros generally have enough trouble sorting through socks on laundry day; imagine if nosotros had to do that blindfolded, with our mouths?

What eats zebra mussels?

Where they are from, zebra mussels have a whole host of natural predators. Birds, fish and many other creatures eat these small crunchy-coated nuggets.

Hither in northern Indiana, however, the list of organisms that can control the zebra mussel population is much, much more express. Of all the species that live here, only a few fish have always been seen to eat zebra mussels (specifically smallmouth bass, yellowish perch and cerise-ear sunfish), and fifty-fifty and then they practice not consume enough to make much of a difference. Likely, the biggest predator here in the Midwest is the crayfish, which tin can eat dozens of small mussels.

On a related note, i species that definitely tin simply really should not eat zebra mussels is usa, Homo sapiens. Eating zebra mussels is a health chance due to the fact that they are filter feeders. As they filter the water, pollutants like heavy metals or pesticides can get stuck and accumulate inside their shells. Practice not endeavour to cook them for dinner!

How do they spread?

There are 2 answers to this question: the biological answer and the overarching reply. Allow'southward start with the scientific discipline and and then answer the more pertinent question.

Zebra mussels are hardcore organisms. They live fast, die ofttimes, and have hundreds of thousands of babies at a time. Zebra mussel larvae quickly abound little hair-similar fins every bit they enter their next stage of life, free-swimming veligers. Within weeks the tiny veligers observe a suitable surface to attach to, where they stick themselves and begin to grow into what nosotros think of as a zebra mussel.

What surfaces do they like? Just about anything. Steel, forest, plastic and rocks are all places they are found oft in Kosciusko County. Scientists have tested many things and zebra mussels stick to most all of them, even asbestos. Zebra mussels do not just collect a few a time; they prefer to colonize, and will quickly clog pipes and amass on the propellers and hulls of boats. Discarded shells that wash up onto beaches are too dangerously precipitous underfoot.

This leads us to the real question, though. How do these seize with teeth-sized bivalves spread between lakes and bodies of water? The most common means of transportation are boats. They spread by sticking to gunkhole hulls and other, related items normally moved from lake to lake. We inadvertently requite them a ride to new homes. This is why it is so of import to carefully clean and dry your gunkhole before transporting information technology!

How did zebra mussels get to the Us?

Zebra mussels are the original stowaway: They caught a ride on a cargo transport!

A veliger cannot swim across the ocean, and a mussel cannot exist carried that far in a waterway's current. They were probable sucked up by ships in the Caspian or Black Seas as the boats filled up their anchor tanks with the bounding main'southward water. That water was non released until the ship got to the St. Lawrence Seaway, where the veligers were dumped into their new homes.

Zebra mussels in Kosciusko County lakes

Zebra mussels are interesting little organisms with interesting (albeit brief) lives and habits.

Although mutual in Kosciusko Canton lakes, zebra mussels are non found in all of them! In May-Baronial 2019, the Lilly Centre research team installed PVC multi-tiered samplers (you can run across what they looked similar in the pictures higher up) onto piers beyond 14 major lakes in Kosciusko County, 12 of which take been infested with zebra mussels for multiple years and two of which have all the same to exist invaded.

Key takeaways from our report:

Spawning is triggered by warm h2o, a fact evidenced past high colonization numbers in July.
The story of these mussels in our lakes is complex. The corporeality of summertime spawning and colonization varies betwixt our lakes and across them from area to area. Correct at present, zebra mussels seem to be a lot more than prevalent in some lakes than others.
Careful recreation is nevertheless super of import! Some of our major lakes – and maybe more of our smaller ones – are still uninfested!

Desire to proceed reading? Visit some of these helpful resources:

USGS: FAQ | What zebra mussels stick to | INDNR: Fact Sail