Zebra Mussels Invasive Species

Invasive species are organisms not native to an environment that cause harm. Invasive species typically disrupt the balance of the ecosystem. This species grows, reproduces, or spreads quickly. If an invasive species is introduced to an environment, then it would result in a trophic cascade because it would disrupt various levels of the food chain.
Zebra mussels are an example of an invasive species. Zebra mussels were first from Eastern Europe and West Russia, but they arose in the Great Lakes in the 1980s. It is believed that they got here in the ballast water of ships. These mussels reproduce in an expedite rate. “In her five-year lifetime, a single zebra mussel will produce about five million eggs, 100,000 of which reach adulthood.” (The National Wildlife Federation) With such a high reproduction rate it’s obvious that “zebra mussels have spread throughout the Great Lakes, parts of the Mississippi River, and other rivers and inland lakes.” (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources)

This may sound beneficial, but not if there is an animal that already does that. Quagga mussels are also an invasive species from Eastern Europe. Since both quagga and zebra mussels both consume plankton this leaves less plankton for other animals to consume. “ In the Great Lakes this had lead to the collapse of amphipod populations that fish rely on for food and the health of fish populations has been severely affected.” (Center for Invasive Species Research) Because of the decrease in plankton, the amphipods population is decreasing. Fish that eat amphipods are also in trouble because now their food source has decreased as