When do zebra mussels reproduce

Filter Total Items: 4. Neilson, Matthew E. Virgin Islands. View Citation. Neilson, M. Geological Survey Fact Sheet —, 4 p. Churchill, Christopher J. Year Published: Procedures for conducting underwater searches for invasive mussels Dreissena sp.

Procedures for conducting underwater searches for invasive mussels Dreissena sp. Filter Total Items: 2. Date published: September 9, Date published: September 18, Filter Total Items: List Grid. April 27, Detailed view of a Quagga Mussel right and a Zebra Mussel. Image credit: USGS. February 4, Zebra mussels. July 22, The zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha is a small, non-native mussel originally found in Russia.

In , this animal was transported to North America in the ballast water of a transatlantic. Attribution: Ecosystems. November 30, Zebra Mussels on rock. March 14, Zebra Mussel, Lake Huron specimens. Attribution: Wetland and Aquatic Research Center. The first established population was discovered in at Lake St.

Clair, which straddles the border between the U. They quickly spread across the Great Lakes, and are now present in the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers as far north as Stillwater. Human transport has now spread them to the west coast of the U.

How do we stop them? Once a population of zebra mussels has become established in a water body, there is very little to be done to remove them. Prevention, therefore, is the best way to keep a water body clean of zebra mussels. Because they reproduce by spewing veligers into the water, zebra mussels are dependent on a current to spread their populations.

This means that they can only move downstream in a river, and need a ride if they are to move further upstream. Humans often aid them in their spread by transporting water from place to place. The microscopic veligers are invisible to the naked eye, and infected water transported in the bottom of a boat, inside a motor or via a livewell can readily become a new infestation if released into an otherwise clean river or lake.

To prevent this, boaters must take care to drain their boats, motors and livewells before leaving a lake or river, wash their boat and trailer thoroughly, and allow it to dry for at least five days the amount of time a zebra mussel can survive out of water before taking the boat out again. Since , the National Park Service at the St. Zebra Mussels are filter feeders that attach themselves to solid surfaces.

They breed very quickly, as females can release up to one million eggs each breeding season. After the eggs are fertilized, larvae called veligers emerge and are free-swimming for up to a month. The combination of these factors mean that Zebra Mussels can colonize in densities over , individuals per m2 on surfaces such as:. Zebra Mussels can have significant negative impacts on freshwater habitats by out-competing native species for food.

This affects the composition of other communities within the ecosystem by:. Zebra Mussels are especially harmful for native mussels, many of which are species at risk. They outcompete these species for food and will attach themselves to native mussels, suffocating them.

In Canada, Zebra Mussels cause millions of dollars in damage every year by clogging intake structures in power stations and water treatment plants as well as damaging watercrafts. Zebra Mussels are one of the six prohibited species under the federal Aquatic Invasive Species Regulations and cannot be imported into Canada.

We work with the Canada Border Service Agency as well as provincial and territorial governments to prevent them from entering Canada through contaminated watercraft and aquarium products such as moss balls.

Provincial governments lead on Zebra Mussel surveillance, monitoring, and control in Canada. In Quebec, we work with local non-government organizations and environmental groups to monitor the St. Lawrence River for Zebra Mussels and other pelagic invertebrates. Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta have programming for early detection and monitoring of Zebra Mussels as well as boat inspection and decontamination teams that prevent the spread of Zebra Mussels across inland waters in Canada.