Animals - Freshwater Ecology: Concepts and Environmental Applications - page 163

TABLE 9.1 Community, Food Web, and Ecosystem-Level Effects of the Zebra Mussel,
Dreissena polymorpha

Effect Citation

Lower phytoplankton biomass, greater water clarity Makarewicz et al. (1999), Holland et al. (1995),

Fahnenstiel et al. (1995a), Heath et al. (1995)

Decreased dissolved oxygen from mussel metabolism Effler et al. (1998), Caraco et al., (2000)

New food source for waterfowl; effective conduit for Mazak et al. (1997)

biomagnification of organic toxicants
Increased variability in phytoplankton biomass and Mellina et al. (1995)

phosphorus concentrations
Increased abundance and depth of macrophytes related to Skubinna et al. (1995)

decreased turbidity
Declines in native unionid bivalves and clams Nalepa (1994), Strayer et al. (1998)

Increases in periphyton biomass and productivity related to Lowe and Pillsbury (1995), Fahnenstiel et al.

increased water clarity, about equal to phytoplankton (1995b)

decreases
Increased numbers of small planktonic heterotrophic Cotner et al. (1995), Findlay et al. (1998)

bacteria, decreased numbers of predatory protozoa
Increased nitrogen regeneration rates Gardner et al. (1995), Holland et al. (1995)

Decreases in planktonic protozoa Lavrentyev et al. (1995)

Moderate effect on cladoceran grazing rates in open, deep Wu and Culver (1991)

waters of a large lake

FIGURE 9.8 A red-eye bass (Micropterus coosae) “attacking” the lure of a freshwater mus-
sel (Lampsilis cardium). (A) View of the gravid gill that serves as a lure. After the fish bites
the mantle (C), the glochidia are released in a cloud, and the fish rapidly leaves (D). The mus-
sel is about 6 cm long (from Haag and Warren, 1999; images courtesy of Wendall Haag).