The term bivalve indicates that the external shell of the organism is split into two halves, or valves. The zebra mussels’ main predator is the Round Goby, another invasive species brought from Europe, which is preyed upon by popular gamefish (walleye, bass, and perch). size classes of zebra mussels (6.0–9.9 mm, 10.0–12.9 mm, 13.0–15.9 mm, 16.0–18.9 mm). Do not put the mussel back into the water.

The zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) is a small freshwater mussel.The species was originally native to the lakes of southern Russia and Ukraine. Zebra mussels contribute to biomagnification—the toxins that they filter out of the water are concentrated in their bodies, and passed on to their predators. Zebra mussels do not have many natural predators in North America. What eats zebra mussels? Most important European zebra mussel predators do not occur here, but ecologically similar species are pres- This content downloaded from 129.100.58.76 on Mon, 27 Oct 2014 20:09:50 PM Where they are from, zebra mussels have a whole host of natural predators. If you find a zebra mussel, take a close look at it. Previous studies have suggested that exotic zebra mussels are low profitability prey items and native vertebrate predators are unlikely to reduce zebra mussel densities. Mussel anatomy begins with the mussel's outer shell. However, the zebra mussel has been accidentally introduced to numerous other areas and has become an invasive species in many countries worldwide. The first established population was discovered in 1988 at Lake St. Clair, which straddles the border between the U.S. and Canada and which connects to Lake Erie and Lake Huron. Exotic zebra mussels, Dreissena polymorpha, occur in southern U.S. waterways in high densities, but little is known about the interaction between native fish predators and zebra mussels. [2] However, the zebra mussel has been accidentally introduced to numerous other areas and has become an invasive species in many countries worldwide. Soon after their introduction, zebra mussels reached high densities and became strong competitors with lower trophic levels. This paper reviews the international literature on the natural enemies of Dreissena spp.

(Perhaps the most well known predator of the Zebra Mussel, is the several species of Diving Ducks.However, many of them do not call … Since the 1980s, they have invaded the Great Lakes and the Hudson River.

The Zebra mussel is an invasive freshwater species that originated in areas around Russia and spread through Europe and now to the US. Birds, fish and many other creatures consume these small crunchy-coated nuggets. Zebra mussel veligers were likely sucked up by ships in the Caspian or Black Seas as the boats filled up their ballast tanks with the sea’s water. They quickly spread across the Great Lakes, and are now present in the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers as far north as Stillwater. This hinge can open and close the shell of the mussel via muscles on the inside of the shell. Try to determine if anyone has seen zebra mussels in this particular body of water before. While we are not crazy about having them in Wisconsin, they are fascinating animals.

All sizes of round go- All sizes of round go- bies ate zebra mussels<10.0 mm. Exotic zebra mussels, Dreissena polymorpha, occur in southern U.S. waterways in high densities, but little is known about the interaction between native fish predators and zebra mussels. We checked the level of anti-predator protection provided to three gammarid species by an invasive Ponto-Caspian zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha, known … and discusses the biology and ecology of organisms known to be involved in their predation (176 species), parasitism (34 species), and competitive exclusion (10 species). Previous studies have suggested that exotic zebra mussels are low profitability prey items and native vertebrate predators are unlikely to reduce zebra mussel densities.

Predation on zebra mussels, Dreissena polymorpha, provides a good example of the complex response of natural predators.

NATURAL PREDATORS **Juvenile zebra mussels are so small they can only be consumed by filter feeders and small minnows. 1. That water was not released until the ship got to the St. Lawrence Seaway, where the veligers were dumped into their new homes. Zebra mussels were first discovered in the U.S. in the late 1980s.