"I'm Invasive"

The invasion of zebra mussels into North America is an issue which I chose to discuss because it hits close to home. Literally. The Zebra Mussel was first discovered in North America in my home state of Michigan in the year I was born (1988). They were first discovered in Lake St. Clair and were most likely transported from the Caspian Sea region of Asia (where they are a native species) through the ballast water of a transoceanic ship. In less than 10 years since their introduction, zebra mussels have spread to all five Great Lakes and into the Mississippi, Tennessee, Hudson, and Ohio River basins. Inland lakes have also been affected. According to the Great Lakes Science Center each female zebra mussel produces one million eggs per year. The eggs, as well as the larvae are very small which also helps them spread more easily. Zebra mussels attach themselves to hard surfaces. Those hard surfaces can include man made structures such as water intake pipes, docks, buoys, piers, and breakwalls or other organisms such as native clams, crayfish and turtles. This can cause multiple problems. For humans a 50% decrease in efficiency was observed in water intake plants because they clog intake pipes (Zebra Mussels: Biology, Impacts, and Control) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that the potential economic impact to U.S. and Canadian Water Users in the Great Lakes region may reach into the billions of dollars over the next ten years.
Since zebra mussels are an invasive species they are bound to cause ecological damage, or at least ecological change. Some species, especially native clam species have been dying as zebra mussels attach themselves. In addition, zebra mussels are filter feeders and their feeding process actually cleans the water. However, by doing so they decrease microscopic algae populations that some native species depend on for food. Some animals such as lake sturgeon, perch, sunfish and catfish feed on zebra mussels, so they have actually become a steady food supply, however their presence has clearly caused a shift in the Great Lakes ecosystem.
In my opinion, one of the most important points to notice is that invasive species like the zebra mussel relate to the broader issue of global biodiversity loss. W. Wayt Gibbs, author of the article “On The Termination of Species” states that we may be loosing 27,000 species to extinction every year. I hope I’m not the only one who finds this alarming. Invasive species are one of the stated reasons for this loss in species diversity.
Think about your traveling activities and habits. Here are some sources of information that I used and other things for you to check out:

-Here is an interactive map that shows the movement of zebra mussels throughout North America: http://nationalatlas.gov/dynamic/dyn_zm.html#

-Great Lakes Science Center & U.S. Geological Survey (this can tell you preventative measures you can take to stop the spread): http://www.glsc.usgs.gov/

-Zebra Mussels: Biology, Impacts, and Control by Thomas F. Nalepa and Donald W. Schloesser

-“On The Termination of Species” by W. Wayt Gibbs, Scientific American, November 2001

-"The Current Biodiversity Extinction Event: Scenarios for Mitigation and Recovery" by Michael J. Novacek and Elsa E. Cleland:
www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.091093698