Zebra Mussels

When did zebra mussels arrive in North America?

1986

Invasive species (are or are not) common in the Great Lakes

Are

Give the term used in the reading that refers to the variety of living organisms living in an area:

Biodiversity

Zebra mussels (can or cannot) survive for days without water.

Can

Zebra mussels (can or cannot) attach themselves directly to soft, muddy surfaces on the floors of the Great Lakes.

Cannot

Lake water is much (clearer or murkier) after zebra mussels invade.

Clearer

Why does clearer lake water represent and ecological problem?

Clearer water represents a lack of nutrients in the water caused by the sinking of large particles combined with mucus from zebra mussels, this lack of nutrients causes phytoplankton populations to decline, and since phytoplankton is a primary food source in the ecosystem, biodiversity is reduced since organisms can't get food

Zebra mussels (do or do not) require a hard surface for attachment.

Do

Zebra mussels (do or do not) eat native mussels.

Do not

Zebra mussels (do or do not) require a natural surface for attachment.

Do not

The reading identified two environmental factors in the water that limit zebra mussel colonies: the availability of oxygen and ___________________

Food

How did zebra mussels arrive in North America?

Foreign ships dumped the larvae with ballast water into Lake St. Clair

In terms of water depth, light intensity, and water temperature, the zebra mussel is a (specialist or generalist) species.

Generalist

Where are zebra mussels native?

Russia

Give a synonym for the "valve" of a mussel:

Shell

What environmental factors limit zebra mussel colonies?

Swift currents and waves or the availability of food and oxygen

What human activity enabled zebra mussel populations to expand in Europe?

The building of shipping canals

What human construction activity enabled zebra mussel populations to expand so extensively through Europe?

The building of shipping canals

How are zebra mussels able to survive out of water for several days?

The can secrete a foam to seal themselves up

Zebra mussels can only colonize hard surfaces. How, then, do they invade areas with soft muddy bottoms?

They are able to grow on the shells of other shellfish

How do zebra mussels impact industrial facilities and navigational structures?

They can clog the water supply pipes to industrial facilities and they can cause navigational structures to sink because of the sheer weight of zebra mussels attached to them

How severely are introduced species affecting the ecology of the Great Lakes? Explain your answer.

They may soon dominate the lakes' ecology; a new species is introduced approximately every seven months

How and why do zebra mussels change aquatic habitats they invade?

They reduce biodiversity because they reduce the number of nutrients in the water which reduces phytoplankton populations, a primary food source, so it causes certain species in an ecosystem to disappear; a lack of nutrients makes the water clearer; zebra mussels alter the entire food web

What two characteristics of zebra mussels contribute to their invasive spread?

They reproduce quickly and can tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions

How far had zebra mussels spread within their first six years?

They spread to all the Great Lakes and to eight large river systems

What is the purpose of the zebra mussel's siphon?

They're tubes; they have two, one takes in water and the other expels it

What are phytoplankton?

Tiny organisms that drift with the currents that are microscopic or almost microscopic that use photosynthesis

True or False: Zebra Mussels can attach to and kill each other in the same way they do native mussels.

True

How have zebra mussels led to near extinction of native mussels in some lakes?

When zebra mussels attach themselves to the openings of native mussels while the native mussels are closed, the native mussels are unable to open and close their valves, so they are unable to get food and water and they die. When zebra mussels attach themselves to the hinges of native mussels while the native mussels are open, the native mussels are unable to close to protect themselves from predators and they die.

Explain how zebra mussels are able to spread both in water and on land.

Zebra mussels can attach to boats and be dispersed in the water and they can be spread on boat trailers because when temperatures are cool and humid, zebra mussels are able to survive several days out of the water

How have bodies of water not connected to the Great Lakes become infested?

Zebra mussels can survive out of water for several days when temperatures are cool and humid and can attach to boat trailers which then carry them to another body of water and when the boat trailer goes back into the water, zebra mussels are introduced

Zebra mussels (are or are not) able to grow directly on the shells of other mussels.

are