Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Zebra Mussels in Western Europe and North America

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Long-Term Fate of Invasive Species

Abstract

The zebra mussel has invaded most freshwaters of Western Europe since the first part of the nineteenth century and important parts of the waterways of Northeastern USA and southern Canada since the 1980s. It’s an extremely efficient invader and often, within a few years after having entered a water system, totally dominates the non-photosynthesizing biomass. They will then filter and clear large volumes of water, not seldom a whole lake within days or a week; consume phyto- and microzooplankton; and extract calcium to build their shells. As a result, the pelagic part of the food web is impoverished with a corresponding flourishing of the littoral part. However, other mussel species there may suffer severely from the competition. In many ways, the zebra mussel impacts on the aquatic ecosystem are the opposite of those of eutrophication. Mostly, the period of extreme zebra mussel population density is short, typically a decade or so, after which time the native predators have learned to consume the newcomers and their densities decrease with a factor of 10 or more.

A number of man’s installations in water, including water intake pipes, offer attractive settling places for the zebra mussels and necessitate costly removal operations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 119.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Stanczykowska, A. (1977). Ecology of Dreissena polymorpha in lakes. Polish Archives of Hydrobiology, 24(4), 461–530.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Borcherding, J. (1991). The annual reproductive cycle of the freshwater mussel Dreissena polymorpha Pallas in lakes. Oecologia, 87, 208–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Stanczykowska, A., & Lewandowski, K. (1993). Thirty years of studies of Dreissena polymorpha in Masurian Lakes of northeastern Poland. In T. F. Nalepa & D. W. Schloesser (Eds.), Zebra mussels: Biology impacts and control (pp. 3–33). Boca Raton, FL: Lewis Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Grossinger, J. B. (1794–1797). Universa historia physica regni Hungariae secundum tria regna naturae digesta. Tomus I–V. Posonii et Comaromii.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Bij de Vaate, A., Jazdzewski, K., Ketelaars, H. A. M., Gollasch, S., & Van der Velde, G. (2002). Geographical patterns in range extension of Ponto-Caspian macroinvertebrate species in Europe. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 59, 1159–1174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Retrieved December 2, 2014, from http://www.watertechonline.com/articles/zebra-mussels

  7. Mackie, G., Gibbons, W., Muncaster, B., & Gray, I. (1989). The zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha: A synthesis of European experiences and a preview for North America. Ontario Ministry of Environment.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Aldridge, D. C. (2010). Chapter 7: Dreissena polymorpha in great Britain: History of spread, impacts and control. In G. Van der Velde, S. Rajogopal, & A. bij de Vaate (Eds.), The zebra mussel in Europe (490 pp). Leiden: Backhuys Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Morton, B. S. (1969). Studies on the biology of Dreissena polymorpha 4. Habits, habitats, distribution and control. Water Treatment and Examination, 18, 233–241.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Giusti, F., & Oppi, E. (1973). Dreissena polymorpha nuovamente in Italia. Memorie del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Verona, 20, 45–49.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Lori, E., & Cianfanelli, S. (2006). New records of Dreissena polymorpha from Central Italy. Aquatic Invasions, 1(4), 281–283.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Cianfanelli, S., Lori, E., & Bodon, M. (2010). Chapter 8: Dreissena polymorpha: Current status of knowledge about the distribution in Italy. In G. Van der Velde, S. Rajogopal, & A. bij de Vaate (Eds.), The zebra mussel in Europe. Leiden: Backhuys Publishers. 490 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Morton, B. (2000). Chapter 1: The aquatic nuisance species problem: A global perspective and review (pp. 1–54). Lewis Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Lalaguna, C. D., & Marco, A. A. (2008). The zebra mussel invasion in Spain and navigation rules. Aquatic Invasions, 3(3), 315–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://www.fisheriesireland.ie/Invasive-species-list/zebra-mussel.html

  16. Birnbaum, C. (2011). NOBANIS—Invasive Alien Species Fact Sheet—Dreissena polymorpha.—From: Online Database of the European Network on Invasive Alien Species. Date of Access December 3, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Valovirta, I., & Porkka, M. (1996). The distribution and abundance of Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas) in the eastern gulf of Finland. Memoranda Societatis pro Fauna et Flora Fennica, 72, 63–78.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Ward, J. M., & Ricciardi, A. (2007). Impacts of Dreissena invasions on benthic macroinvertebrate communities: A meta-analysis. Diversity and Distributions, 13, 155–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Radziejewska, T., Fenske, C., Wawrzyniak-Wydrowska, B., Riel, P., Wozniczka, A., & Gruszka, P. (2009). The zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) and the benthic community in a coastal Baltic lagoon: Another example of enhancement? Marine Ecology, 30(Suppl. 1), 138–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Walz, N. (1973). Studies of the biology of Dreissena polymorpha in Lake Constance. Archiv für Hydrobiologie, (Suppl. 42), 452–482.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Stanczykowska, A., Lewandowski, K., & Czarnoleski, M. (2010). Chapter 11: Distribution and densities of Dreissena polymorpha in Poland—Past and present. In G. Van der Velde, S. Rajogopal, & A. bij de Vaate (Eds.), The zebra mussel in Europe (490p). Leiden: Backhuys Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Piesik, Z. The role of the crayfish Orconectes limosus in extinction of Dreissena polymorpha subsisting on steelon-net. Polski Archiwum Hydrobiologii, 21(3–4), 401–410.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Reynolds, J. D., & Donohoe, R. (2001). Crayfish predation experiment on the introduced zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, in Ireland, and their potential for biocontrol. Bulletin Francais de la Peche et de la Pisciculture, 361, 669–681.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Stucki, T. P. (1999). Life cycles and life history of Astacus leptodactylus in Chalzensee Pond (Zurich) and Lake Ageri., Switzerland. Freshwater Crayfish, 12, 430–448.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Mackie, G. L., & Schloesser, D. W. (1996). Comparative biology of zebra mussels in Europe and North America: An overview. American Zoologist, 36, 244–258.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Retrieved December 5, 2014, from http://www.nrm.se/faktaomnaturenochrymden/djur/ryggradslosadjur/snackorochmusslor/svenskasotvattensmusslor/vandrarmussla.1785.html

  27. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?speciesID=5

  28. Holland, R. E. (1993). Changes in planktonic diatoms and water transparency in Hatchery Bay, Bass Island Area, Western Lake Erie since the establishment of the zebra mussel. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 19(3), 617–624.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Nicholls, K. H., & Standke, S. J. (1997). Effects of zebra mussels on chlorophyll, nitrogen, phosphorus and silica in north shore waters of Lake Erie. In. M. Munawar (Ed.), State of the Lake Erie Ecosystem (SOLE): Past, present and future (37p). Ont. Min. Envir. Energy Tech. Report.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Retrieved December 6, 2014, from http://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/_documents/publications/FS/FS-045%20Zebra%20mussels%20in%20North%20America.pdf

  31. Madenjian, C. P. (1995). Removal of algae by the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) population in western Lake Erie: A bioenergetics approach. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 52(2), 381–390.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Vanderploeg, H. A., Liebig, J. R., Carmichael, W. W., Agy, M. A., Johengen, T. H., Fahnenstiel, G. L., & Nalepa, T. F. (2001). Zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) selective filtration promoted toxic Microcystis blooms in Saginaw Bay (Lake Huron) and Lake Erie. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 58, 1208–1221.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Vanderploeg, H. A., Wilson, A. E., Johengen, T. H., Bressie, J. D., Sarnelle, O., Liebig, J. R., Robinson, S. D., & Horst, G. P. (2013). Chapter 32: Role of selective grazing by dreissenid mussels in promoting toxic Microcystis blooms and other changes in phytoplankton composition in the Great Lakes. In Quagga and zebra mussels: Biology, impacts, and control. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Retrieved January 20, 2017, from https://www.glsc.usgs.gov/publications/2013/1761

  34. MacIsaac, H. J., Lonnee, C. J., & Leach, J. H. (1995). Suppression of microzooplankton by zebra mussels: Importance of mussel size. Freshwater Biology, 34, 379–387.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Bader, A. P. (1985). Dynamics of benthic macroinvertebrates inhabiting an artificial reef and surrounding areas in southwestern Lake Ontario. M.S. thesis, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Steward, T. W., & Haynes, J. M. (1994). Benthic macroinvertebrate community of southwestern Lake Ontario following invasion of Dreissena. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 19(2), 479–493.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Retrieved from http://www.eng.buffalo.edu/glp/articles/glrr_v3n1_1997.html

  38. Schloesser, D., & Nalepa, T. (1994). Dramatic decline of unionid bivalves in offshore waters of western Lake Erie after the invasion by the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 51, 2234–2242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Schloesser, D., Nalepa, T., & Mackie, G. (1996). Zebra mussel infestation of unionid bivalves (Unionidae) in North America. American Zoologist, 36, 300–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Written off, doomed native mussels return. Retrieved from http://voicenews.com/articles/2014/10/09/news/doc542d9541162c0893321344.txt?viewmode=fullstory

  41. Zanatta, D. T., Bossenbroek, J. M., Burlakova, L. E., Crail, T. D., de Szalay, F., Griffith, T. A., Kapusinski, D., Karateyev, A. Y., Krebs, R. A., Meyer, E. S., Paterson, W. L., Prescott, T. J., Rowe, M. T., Schloesser, D. W., & Walsh, M. C. (2015). Distribution of native mussel (Unionidae) assemblages in coastal Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair, and connecting channels, twenty-five years after the dreissenid invasion. Northeastern Naturalist, 22(1), 223–235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Fitzsimons, J. D., Leach, J. H., Nepszy, S. J., & Cains, V. W. (1995). Impacts of zebra mussel on walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) reproduction in western Lake Erie. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 52(3), 578–586.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Retrieved December 9, 2014, from http://www.epa.gov/med/grosseile_site/indicators/walleye.html

  44. Retrieved December 9, 2014, from http://seapics.com/feature-subject/marine-invertebrates/zebra-mussel-pictures.html

  45. Retrieved December 9, 2014, from http://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/discuss/index.php/topic,408.0.html

  46. USGS. Science for a changing world. Zebra mussel mshelgeseg.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/60724393/Zebra%20Mussel

  47. Culver, D. A., & Conroy, J. D. (2007). Impact of dreissenid mussel population changes on Lake Erie nutrient dynamics (A Final Report to the Ohio Lake Erie Commission). Ohio Lake Erie Protection Fund. Project SG 233–04.

    Google Scholar 

  48. Karatayev, A. Y., Burlakova, L. E., Mastitsky, S. E., Padilla, D. K., & Mills, E. L. (2011). Contrasting rates of spread of two congeners, Dreissena polymorpha and Dreissena Rostriformis Bugensis, at different spatial scales. Journal of Shellfish Research, 30(3), 923–931.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  49. Strayer, D. L., Powell, J., Ambrose, P., Pace, M. L., & Fischer, D. T. (2011). Arrival, spread, and early dynamics of a zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) population in the Hudson River estuary. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 53(5), 1143–1149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. Caraco, N. F., Cole, J. J., Raymond, P. A., Strayer, D. L., Pace, M. L., Findlay, S. E. G., & Fischer, D. T. (1997). Zebra mussel invasion in a large, turbid river: Phytoplankton response to increased grazing. Ecology, 78, 588–602.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Retrieved from http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?speciesID=5

  52. Carlsson, N. O. L., Bustamante, H., Strayer, D. L., & Pace, M. L. (2011). Biotic resistance on the increase: Native predators structure invasive zebra mussel populations. Freshwater Biology, 56, 1630–1637.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  53. Retrieved December 2, 2014, from http://el.erdc.usace.army.mil/zebra/zmis/zmishelp/economic_impacts_of_zebra_mussel_infestation.htm

  54. Retrieved December 11, 2014, from http://www.mtcws.mtu.edu/Education/2009_Posters/VanDerLaar_Policy%20EC%20Poster.pdf

  55. Retrieved December 11, 2014, from http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=50

  56. Retrieved December 2, 2014, from http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/property-values-rise-on-zebra-mussel-infested-lakes-study-shows-b99224285z1-250495531.html

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Swedish Institute for Future Studies, Jarpas, Sweden

    Arne Jernelöv

Authors
  1. Arne Jernelöv
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Jernelöv, A. (2017). Zebra Mussels in Western Europe and North America. In: The Long-Term Fate of Invasive Species. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55396-2_2

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation