Discovery News is carrying a news piece about the decline of a key great lakes species:
Diporeia. This tiny crustacean, which feed primarily on planktonic algae, is eaten by many species of fish, importantly alewives (a type of herring) which are eaten by larger fish. The population crash coincides in general with the introduction of the Zebra mussel (
Dreissena polymorpha) to the great lakes. Another clue that the zebra mussels are responsible (at least in part) is that the
Diporeia are disappearing from all the lakes except Lake Superior which has a much lower population of zebra mussels - probably due to the lake's low calcium levels which the mussel needs to build its shell. The zebra mussels
... settle above the small crustacean's sediment homes and filter out algal plankton, which Diporeia must feed upon. They then leave behind copious amounts of waste -- literally defecating on the hapless crustaceans -- and transmit disease.
Declining Diporeia
population density in
Lake Michigan
A shopping cart
covered by zebra mussel
Get the complete story at
Discovery News...
They then leave behind copious amounts of waste -- literally defecating on the hapless crustaceans -- and transmit disease
ReplyDeleteNow I feel bad for the poor little buggers! Additionally, depending on how these amphipods reproduce, the mussels may be filtering the larvae or gametes!
Do I see a new repro invert macro there....
ReplyDelete"All your gametes are belong to us?"