Invasive Species We Study: Invasive Mussels
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By Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program
September 30, 2022
Invasive zebra and quagga mussels (collectively called dreissenid mussels) have significant ecological and economic effects. Dreissenids negatively affect industrial and municipal infrastructure, recreational water users, and they severely alter aquatic ecosystems by consuming algae and plankton. USGS has been conducting research on rapid response and control of dreissenid mussels in the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River basins for several years, including evaluating the application of targeted molluscicides, assessing the effects of molluscicides on non-target species, and developing genetic tools for dreissenid mussel detection.
Invasive Mussel Research
Invasive Mussel Research
Filter Total Items: 20
Hydroacoustic detection of dreissenid mussels and their habitat: an innovative way to detect dreissenid infestations and model preferred habitat for future colonization
The proposed project will explore the technology of hydroacoustics to detect dreissenid mussels and analyze habitat variables to model preferred future habitat locations to help control the spread of invasive dreissenid mussels.
Development of Sampling Protocols and Diagnostic Tools for Assessment of Freshwater Mussel Health
Assessing Impacts of Emerging and Established Diseases to Aquatic Ecosystems The role of disease in freshwater mussel declines has been largely ignored due to the lack of appropriate diagnostic tools. Furthermore, health assessment of mussels in conjunction with restoration and propagation has not been considered during stocking and augmentation activities. This project will develop standard...
Management Tools for Dreissenid Mussels
Dreissenid mussels have posed an aquatic invasive species challenge in the United States since their arrival in the Great Lakes in the 1980s. Zebra ( Dreissena polymorpha) and Quagga ( D. bugensis) mussels are filter feeders with high reproductive capacity. Their behaviors result in altered nutrient cycles, shifts in trophic structures, and extirpation of some native species in systems where they...
Development of Selective Control Tools
Management Tools for Dreissenid Mussels Currently, dreissenid mussel populations are spreading and becoming a growing problem in many aquatic systems, making it important to find management techniques that are selective for the invasive mussel populations while leaving the native populations intact. Control technology for dreissenids in open water currently relies on a limited number of...
Evaluation of Carbon Dioxide to Control Dreissenid Mussels
Management Tools for Dreissenid Mussels Carbon dioxide (CO2) has been suggested as a chemical control for a variety of invasive aquatic organisms, including Asian Carp. USGS researchers and partners evaluated the efficacy of low CO2 concentrations for preventing zebra mussel larval (veliger) settlement and during summer 2019 in a harbor of the upper Mississippi River. The lowest CO2 concentration...
Evaluation of Copper as a Control Agent for Invasive Mussels
Management Tools for Dreissenid Mussels USGS researchers and partners conducted an experimental application of low dose copper, as EarthTecQZ, to a bay in Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota. The veliger density and settlement were compared to that of an untreated bay within the same lake. The copper application produced a substantial reduction in zebra mussel abundance of early life stages, juvenile...
Carbon Dioxide for General Aquatic Invasive Species Control
Invasive Carp Control: Carbon Dioxide Carbon dioxide (CO2) is being evaluated as a new fishery chemical for general aquatic invasive species control. Most research has focused on its effectiveness as a behavioral deterrent and lethal control or invasive carps. However, because CO2 is generally non-selective, there is potential for this new control chemical to be applied across a wide range of...
Developing RNA Interference to Control Zebra Mussels
We aim to develop a control tool for eliminating zebra mussels that exploits natural gene regulation mechanisms (RNA-induced gene silencing; RNAi) to be specific to zebra mussels without non-target effects. In addition to the nuisance they pose, Pimentel et al. estimated that zebra mussels cost the U.S. economy over $1 billion annually. Zebra mussels are among the International Union for...
The Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Alert Risk Mapper (ARM)
The Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) program has developed a new tool, the NAS Alert Risk Mapper (ARM), to characterize waterbodies in the conterminous U.S. and Hawaii at potential risk of invasion from a new nonindigenous species sighting.
Species Studied by the Western Fisheries Research Center
Many species are studied at the Western Fisheries Research Center. These species include bacteria, birds, fish, invertebrates, parasites, plants, and viruses. The list contains both common and scientific names, and where each are being studied on the WFRC landscape.
BOR environmental DNA sampling for invasive mussels at USGS gages
As part of an ongoing project funded by the Bureau of Reclamation and lead by the Idaho Water Sciences Center (IDWSC) and Northern Rocky Mountain Research Center (NOROCK), the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) will analyze environmental DNA samples collected at gage stations directly downstream of multiple reservoirs throughout the Columbia River Basin. The goal of this project...
Avoidance behavior of cold-, cool-, and warmwater fish exposed to Zequanox in a two-choice preference chamber
Zebra ( Dreissenia polymorpha, Pallas 1771) and quagga ( D. bugensis, Andrusov 1897) mussels, collectively referred to as dreissenid mussels, are invasive bivalves native to the Ponto-Caspian region of Eurasia (Stepien et al. 2013; Benson 2018a). High fecundity and a free-swimming planktonic life stage allow for easy and rapid dispersal of dreissenid mussels (Mackie 1991; Marsden et al. 2013)...
Assessment of Open Water Zequanox Applications for Controlling Dreissenid Mussels within an Inland Lake
Invasion of dreissenid mussels (zebra and quagga mussels, Dreissena polymorpha and D. rostriformis bugensis, respectively) into the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins has resulted in estimated economic impacts as high as $1 billion annually for maintenance and repair of biofouled water conveyance systems and other infrastructures (Pimentel et al. 2005).
Development of Chemical Tools to Control Invasive Carp and Dreissenid Mussels
Over 180 and 140 aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been introduced into the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River basins, respectively, with threats of new invasions always on the horizon. Sea lamprey, zebra mussels, and invasive carps are just a few examples of AIS whose abilities to alter aquatic habitats and disrupt food cycles threaten many outdoor recreation opportunities and ecosystems...
River Productivity
Biological production represents the total amount of living material (biomass) that was produced during a defined period of time. This production is important because some of it is used for food and some is valued for recreation, it is a direct measure of total ecosystem processes, and it sustains biological diversity. Production is a measure of energy flow, and is therefore a natural currency for...
Use of electrified fields to control dreissenid mussels
Zebra and quagga mussels were first introduced into the Great Lakes in the 1980’s and they have since expanded to over 750 inland lakes in addition to the 5 Great Lakes. A 2009 study conducted by the Idaho Aquatic Nuisance Species Taskforce estimated the annual economic threat of dreissenids to Idaho to be $94 million. A literature review conducted by Lovell and Stone (2005) demonstrates the...
Exposure-Related Effects of Zequanox on Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) and lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) Survival and Condition
A dead-cell, spray-dried powder formulation of Pseudomonas fluorescens, strain CL145A was recently approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for control of dreissenid mussels (zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha and quagga mussel, Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) in open-water environments. The EPA approved product, Zequanox® (registration number 84059-15) is manufactured by Marrone...
Temperature-dependent toxicity of molluscicides to zebra mussels
Zebra mussels (Dreissenia polymorpha) are native to the Black, Caspian, and Aral Seas of eastern Europe (Gollasch and Leppäkoski 1999) and they were likely introduced into Lake Erie as veliger larvae in the summer or fall of 1985 (Hebert et al. 1989). Their high reproductive capacity and planktonic larval stage enable zebra mussels to rapidly disperse (Birnbaum 2011). Less than 10 years after...
Evaluation of lethal and sublethal responses of dreissenid and unionid mussels to elevated carbon dioxide
Control technology for dreissenid mussels currently relies heavily on chemical molluscicides that can be both costly and ecologically harmful. There is a need to develop more environmentally neutral control tools to manage dreissenid mussels. Carbon dioxide has shown toxicity to several species of invasive bivalves, including zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) and the Asian clam (Corbicula...
The Lethality of Hot Water and Ozone on Aquatic Invasive Species
With the increasing prevalence of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) in the Chicago Area Waterways System (CAWS), the implementation of new control techniques to inhibit the dispersal of AIS is strongly desired. For a technique to be a truly viable option, the process would inhibit the movement of AIS between the Mississippi River Basin and the Great Lakes. A physical barrier separating these regions...
Invasive zebra and quagga mussels (collectively called dreissenid mussels) have significant ecological and economic effects. Dreissenids negatively affect industrial and municipal infrastructure, recreational water users, and they severely alter aquatic ecosystems by consuming algae and plankton. USGS has been conducting research on rapid response and control of dreissenid mussels in the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River basins for several years, including evaluating the application of targeted molluscicides, assessing the effects of molluscicides on non-target species, and developing genetic tools for dreissenid mussel detection.
Invasive Mussel Research
Invasive Mussel Research
Filter Total Items: 20
Hydroacoustic detection of dreissenid mussels and their habitat: an innovative way to detect dreissenid infestations and model preferred habitat for future colonization
The proposed project will explore the technology of hydroacoustics to detect dreissenid mussels and analyze habitat variables to model preferred future habitat locations to help control the spread of invasive dreissenid mussels.
Development of Sampling Protocols and Diagnostic Tools for Assessment of Freshwater Mussel Health
Assessing Impacts of Emerging and Established Diseases to Aquatic Ecosystems The role of disease in freshwater mussel declines has been largely ignored due to the lack of appropriate diagnostic tools. Furthermore, health assessment of mussels in conjunction with restoration and propagation has not been considered during stocking and augmentation activities. This project will develop standard...
Management Tools for Dreissenid Mussels
Dreissenid mussels have posed an aquatic invasive species challenge in the United States since their arrival in the Great Lakes in the 1980s. Zebra ( Dreissena polymorpha) and Quagga ( D. bugensis) mussels are filter feeders with high reproductive capacity. Their behaviors result in altered nutrient cycles, shifts in trophic structures, and extirpation of some native species in systems where they...
Development of Selective Control Tools
Management Tools for Dreissenid Mussels Currently, dreissenid mussel populations are spreading and becoming a growing problem in many aquatic systems, making it important to find management techniques that are selective for the invasive mussel populations while leaving the native populations intact. Control technology for dreissenids in open water currently relies on a limited number of...
Evaluation of Carbon Dioxide to Control Dreissenid Mussels
Management Tools for Dreissenid Mussels Carbon dioxide (CO2) has been suggested as a chemical control for a variety of invasive aquatic organisms, including Asian Carp. USGS researchers and partners evaluated the efficacy of low CO2 concentrations for preventing zebra mussel larval (veliger) settlement and during summer 2019 in a harbor of the upper Mississippi River. The lowest CO2 concentration...
Evaluation of Copper as a Control Agent for Invasive Mussels
Management Tools for Dreissenid Mussels USGS researchers and partners conducted an experimental application of low dose copper, as EarthTecQZ, to a bay in Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota. The veliger density and settlement were compared to that of an untreated bay within the same lake. The copper application produced a substantial reduction in zebra mussel abundance of early life stages, juvenile...
Carbon Dioxide for General Aquatic Invasive Species Control
Invasive Carp Control: Carbon Dioxide Carbon dioxide (CO2) is being evaluated as a new fishery chemical for general aquatic invasive species control. Most research has focused on its effectiveness as a behavioral deterrent and lethal control or invasive carps. However, because CO2 is generally non-selective, there is potential for this new control chemical to be applied across a wide range of...
Developing RNA Interference to Control Zebra Mussels
We aim to develop a control tool for eliminating zebra mussels that exploits natural gene regulation mechanisms (RNA-induced gene silencing; RNAi) to be specific to zebra mussels without non-target effects. In addition to the nuisance they pose, Pimentel et al. estimated that zebra mussels cost the U.S. economy over $1 billion annually. Zebra mussels are among the International Union for...
The Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Alert Risk Mapper (ARM)
The Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) program has developed a new tool, the NAS Alert Risk Mapper (ARM), to characterize waterbodies in the conterminous U.S. and Hawaii at potential risk of invasion from a new nonindigenous species sighting.
Species Studied by the Western Fisheries Research Center
Many species are studied at the Western Fisheries Research Center. These species include bacteria, birds, fish, invertebrates, parasites, plants, and viruses. The list contains both common and scientific names, and where each are being studied on the WFRC landscape.
BOR environmental DNA sampling for invasive mussels at USGS gages
As part of an ongoing project funded by the Bureau of Reclamation and lead by the Idaho Water Sciences Center (IDWSC) and Northern Rocky Mountain Research Center (NOROCK), the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) will analyze environmental DNA samples collected at gage stations directly downstream of multiple reservoirs throughout the Columbia River Basin. The goal of this project...
Avoidance behavior of cold-, cool-, and warmwater fish exposed to Zequanox in a two-choice preference chamber
Zebra ( Dreissenia polymorpha, Pallas 1771) and quagga ( D. bugensis, Andrusov 1897) mussels, collectively referred to as dreissenid mussels, are invasive bivalves native to the Ponto-Caspian region of Eurasia (Stepien et al. 2013; Benson 2018a). High fecundity and a free-swimming planktonic life stage allow for easy and rapid dispersal of dreissenid mussels (Mackie 1991; Marsden et al. 2013)...
Assessment of Open Water Zequanox Applications for Controlling Dreissenid Mussels within an Inland Lake
Invasion of dreissenid mussels (zebra and quagga mussels, Dreissena polymorpha and D. rostriformis bugensis, respectively) into the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins has resulted in estimated economic impacts as high as $1 billion annually for maintenance and repair of biofouled water conveyance systems and other infrastructures (Pimentel et al. 2005).
Development of Chemical Tools to Control Invasive Carp and Dreissenid Mussels
Over 180 and 140 aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been introduced into the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River basins, respectively, with threats of new invasions always on the horizon. Sea lamprey, zebra mussels, and invasive carps are just a few examples of AIS whose abilities to alter aquatic habitats and disrupt food cycles threaten many outdoor recreation opportunities and ecosystems...
River Productivity
Biological production represents the total amount of living material (biomass) that was produced during a defined period of time. This production is important because some of it is used for food and some is valued for recreation, it is a direct measure of total ecosystem processes, and it sustains biological diversity. Production is a measure of energy flow, and is therefore a natural currency for...
Use of electrified fields to control dreissenid mussels
Zebra and quagga mussels were first introduced into the Great Lakes in the 1980’s and they have since expanded to over 750 inland lakes in addition to the 5 Great Lakes. A 2009 study conducted by the Idaho Aquatic Nuisance Species Taskforce estimated the annual economic threat of dreissenids to Idaho to be $94 million. A literature review conducted by Lovell and Stone (2005) demonstrates the...
Exposure-Related Effects of Zequanox on Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) and lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) Survival and Condition
A dead-cell, spray-dried powder formulation of Pseudomonas fluorescens, strain CL145A was recently approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for control of dreissenid mussels (zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha and quagga mussel, Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) in open-water environments. The EPA approved product, Zequanox® (registration number 84059-15) is manufactured by Marrone...
Temperature-dependent toxicity of molluscicides to zebra mussels
Zebra mussels (Dreissenia polymorpha) are native to the Black, Caspian, and Aral Seas of eastern Europe (Gollasch and Leppäkoski 1999) and they were likely introduced into Lake Erie as veliger larvae in the summer or fall of 1985 (Hebert et al. 1989). Their high reproductive capacity and planktonic larval stage enable zebra mussels to rapidly disperse (Birnbaum 2011). Less than 10 years after...
Evaluation of lethal and sublethal responses of dreissenid and unionid mussels to elevated carbon dioxide
Control technology for dreissenid mussels currently relies heavily on chemical molluscicides that can be both costly and ecologically harmful. There is a need to develop more environmentally neutral control tools to manage dreissenid mussels. Carbon dioxide has shown toxicity to several species of invasive bivalves, including zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) and the Asian clam (Corbicula...
The Lethality of Hot Water and Ozone on Aquatic Invasive Species
With the increasing prevalence of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) in the Chicago Area Waterways System (CAWS), the implementation of new control techniques to inhibit the dispersal of AIS is strongly desired. For a technique to be a truly viable option, the process would inhibit the movement of AIS between the Mississippi River Basin and the Great Lakes. A physical barrier separating these regions...