Invasive Mussels Threaten Lake Ecosystems

by Will DeFour, age 15
A close relative of the highly invasive zebra mussel, known as the quagga mussel, has spread across the Great Lakes, removed valuable nutrients from the water, and even begun moving into smaller lakes across Wisconsin.
The quagga mussel was discovered in 1897 but was ignored for decades until it entered the Great Lakes in 1989. Quaggas can live deeper below water than zebra mussels — up to 130 meters below surface. They can also survive greater temperature extremes and, most alarmingly, can grow and thrive on soft surfaces on the lakebed. Zebra mussels can only grow on piers, rocks, and other hard surfaces. Lakes have few hard surfaces and are mostly covered by soft bottoms. Lake Mendota, for example, is 95% soft bottom. That’s what stopped zebra mussels from destroying the Yahara lakes. However, quaggas dont have the same limits.
Quagga mussels harm lake ecosystems by filtering nutrients that fish and other crustaceans need to survive. The mussels also take in pollutants that are dumped into the lake, and quagga predators are harmed by those chemicals. Lake Erie’s dead zone may be the result of this endless filtration. These mussels harm more than their surrounding environment; quaggas can also build up on piers, beaches, and boats. These mussels also clog pipelines and water treatment plants, which cost millions of dollars to fix annually. [Read More]