The Scientific name of a zebra mussel is Dreissena polymorpha. A 5-week experiment was done where zebra mussels where placed in an environment that lacked them. After the 1st week, the researchers noticed that the bio volume of the phytoplankton decreased by 53% and the bio volume of the ciliate decreased by 71%. Zebra Mussels caused a lot of algae to decrease in the beginning of the experiment, however, the algal abundance did not stay consistent throughout the experiment. The concentrations of chlorophyll started to increase after the 8th day of the experiment until the end of the experiment. Mussels are sensitive to pH levels and are not found in pounds and lakes where the pH is below 7.3. Mussel Shells are formed with Calcium so the amount …show more content…
The study was done to see the zebra mussel mercury concentrations by comparing a lake with indirect atmospheric mercury concentrations and a lake that had mercury discharges. The difference in the seasons caused a higher result of Zebra Mussel THg concentrations. The connection of water column THg to zebra mussel THg prove that zebra mussels are a good source of measurement for the mercury concentrations of aquatic life. It can also be used as a successful bioindicator for contaminations of mercury in marine ecosystems. They continue to grow and develop in very polluted area, which makes them a great measurement of biological contaminated in areas that are polluted. Since the THg contained in Zebra mussels is similar to the environment around them, they are good sources of bioindicators of mercury. There were varies of factors that played with THg concentrations, some are the Zebra mussel size, the season it was, the water temperature which affected the rates of feeding, and the location of the lake. Zebra mussels are filter feeders and feed randomly and consume sediments in addition to plankton and others similar to them. THg concentrations are taken instead of MeHg concentrations when Zebra mussels are involved because MeHg concentrations are too broad. The THg concentrations of Zebra Mussels reflect the water column concentrations and the variables that …show more content…
They tested dried Zebra Mussels as a supplement for chicken feed. It contained high levels of calcium which is important to chickens for egg growth and the mussels did not affect the egg weights. The protein, muscle, and nutrients level in the mussel meal was lower than they expected it to be. The chicken absorbed the calcium that was contained in the mussels. It did not have a great effect on hens and the production process. Zebra Mussel biomass can become a waste product because the nutrient removal from bodied waters creates a lot of minerals. They contain the same amount of amino acids as Mytilus edulis, which contains important amino acids and it produced darker egg yolks than a base feed. The quality of the Zebra Mussels and whether they are harmful or not is dependent on the quality of water they were filtered out
The Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha), is a small freshwater mollusk that is an invasive species. It has slowly been making its way into the United States. It has done this by showing up in lakes and in rivers. The mussels get their name due to the striped pattern on their shells. They are a relatively small species, only growing to the size of a human finger nail but there have been cases of larger (“Zebra Mussels,” 2013, para. 2). Mussels live a short life span of 4-5 years and most do not make into adulthood. They live in freshwater at depths of 6 to 24 feet. The female produces 30,000 to 1,000,000 eggs per year starting at the age of two. Zebra Mussels are free moving and can move with an external organ called the byssus (“Zebra Mussels,” 2013, para. 3). But they can be moved around by currents and other objects too. Zebra Mussels are a threat to ecosystems. They damage the natural habitat of lakes and rivers and cause negative effects to the native aquatic life. They multiply in vast majority casing a lake of food and space for other animals. And also the U.S. has spent millions on the removal of these pests from our water (“Zebra Mussels,” 2014, para. 8). The Zebra Mussel has now made its way into Colorado. Just a few has been found in the waters of Colorado but a few is enough to cause a big stir. Extreme precautions have now been put into effect to make sure that the threat of Zebra Mussels is under control.
Thyroid and metabolism hormones play a large role in the daily lives of all living species. Thyroid hormones regulate the metabolism and the metabolism is responsible for maintaining a specific range for the biochemical reactions that occur in the body (Martini 2014). The most important hormone for metabolic maintenance is thyroxine (T4). This hormone also plays a large role in body heat regulation. It is produced by the pituitary gland and secreted by the thyroid gland. The thyroid releasing hormone (TRH) must trigger the thyroid stimulating hormones (TSH) to release thyroid hormones to the thyroid gland. These hormones are under control of the hypothalamus, or main neural control center. Propylthiouracil (PTU) is a medication used to treat
Zebra mussels are filter-feeding organisms, They remove particles from sediments on lake bottoms. The zebra mussels process up to one gallon of water...
Both, people and animals, use the Bays resources every day and have done so for centuries. One of the Bay's biggest resources is its oysters. Oysters are filter feeders which means they feed on algae and clean the water. The oysters feed on algae and other pollutants in the bay, turning them into food, then they condense the food down to nutrients and sometimes develop pearls. Filtering the water helps the oysters grow, and also helps clean the Chesapeake Bay.
Zebra Mussels also known as Dreissena polymorpha are small freshwater mollusk that have been invading America’s rivers and lakes. They originated from the Balkans, Poland and Soviet Union. In 1988, they were found in a small body of water connecting Lake Huron and Lake Erie, known as Lake St. Clair. Biologists believe that European port in the ballast water of a ship, dis...
Picture this: you're having a nice weekend at the lake with your family, fishing, swimming, and having an all-around great time. But then you notice that your boat isn't running as well as it should, especially considering you just cleaned it and made sure everything was in perfect condition before leaving your house. Puzzled, you take your boat out of the water to notice that the hull and motor is covered in tiny clam-like creatures, making your pristine white boat look like something that was just drug out of the bottom of the lake. What are these animals that ruined your weekend of fun? They are zebra mussels, and are found in lakes, rivers, and other bodies of freshwater across the U.S. Normally found in Eastern Europe, the first group of this invasive species hitched a ride in the ballast tanks of ocean liners in the 1980s, and quickly spread. Regulations are in place to stop the spread, but removing them from places that have already been infested is tricky. Today we will talk about the damages zebra mussels cause, how this problem is managed, and what you can do to help.
Planaria are one of many free-living flat worms that can be found in marine, aquatic, and terrestrial environments. Certain characteristics of planaria worms include an acoelomate body, a gut with no anus, lack of a blood vascular system, and a simple nervous system. The main reason as to why planaria are subjected to many studies is because of their unique ability to regenerate. Regeneration is the ability to re-grow lost body parts that may have been cut off. This is possible because the organism has the ability to form a blastema, which is an accumulation of undifferentiated cells, at the site of the wound. Regeneration is capable of occurring at various degrees throughout the animal kingdom. This unique process would never be able to be seen in human beings. Humans and other mammals
Methylmercury becomes deadly to the environment through the process of biomagnefication. To achieve biomagnefication, the mercury must be consumed by microorganisms nd work its way up the food chain increasing in concentration as it enters large...
According to NOAA phytoplankton are microscopic organisms that continuously convert sunlight and nutrients into living tissue. Phytoplankton can be harmful to the bay because they at an uncontrollable rate causing harmful algae blooms when there is an abundance of nutrients. Phytoplankton also serve as the main food source for a larger but still microscopic organism named Zooplankton. Marine Bio.org did a study on zooplnkton revealing that they are very weak swimmers making them an easy food source for any larger organsim. Zooplanktons’ main purpose serves as the main food source for small fish and
The Chesapeake Bay is a very large estuary that holds more than eighteen trillion gallons of water (“The Bay Watershed”). This large estuary is part of six of the different states of Maryland, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia (“Chesapeake Bay Program”). Some characteristics of the bay include salinity, temperature, and circulation. The bay watershed is home to seventeen million people and gains more people each year, so it is no wonder why there are pollution problems (“Chesapeake Bay Program”). Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and is diverse in life.
About half of the fish species live in groups at some point in their life
One of the bays biggest resources is oysters. Oysters are filter feeders which mean they pump water through their gills trapping algae, sediments and nutrients as they release clean the water back into the bay. The material collected through the oysters digestive process forms crystallized layers of nutrient rich matter which sometimes develop into pearls. Filtering the water provides food for the the oysters to grow and also helps to continuously clean the Chesapeake Bay. One oyster can filter fifty gallons of water within a twenty-four hour period according to many sources. Oysters were once able to filter the entire bay in about a week, however, these creatures are now scarce in the bay. The Chesapeake Bay’s oyster, also known as (crasso...
The major source of mercury is the natural degassing of the earth's crust, including land areas, rivers, and the ocean, and this source is estimated to produce on the order of 2700 to 6000 tons per year. The total man made release into the atmosphere is about 2000 to 3000 tons, and it is difficult to assess what quantities of mercury come from human activities and what quantities from natural resources. Run-off into natural bodies of water may contain mercury from both anthropogenic and natural sources, so it is difficult to assess how much released into the atmosphere is from man made or natural sources. Nevertheless, mining, smelting, and industrial discharge have been factors in the environmental contamination in the past. For instance, it is estimated that loss in water effluent from chloralkali plants, one of the largest users of mercury, has been reduced to 99% in recent years. Industrial activities not directly employing mercury or mercury products give rise to substantial quantities of this metal. Fossil fuel may contain as much as 1 ppm of mercury, and it is estimated that about 5000 tons of mercury per year may be emitted from burning coal, natural gas, and from the refining of petroleum products. Calculations based on the mercury content of the Greenland ice cap show an increase from the year 1900 to the present and suggest that the increment is related both to an increase in background levels of mercury in rainwater and to man made r...
Abstract The purpose of this study is to better understand the implications that different levels of pH have on development of sea-urchin larvae. Many sea creatures reproduce and flourish in certain water qualities and reproduction can be hindered if levels are not maintained. Sea Urchins are important in understanding not only urchin cells, fertilization, and heredity but can also be linked directly to humans. If we can apply our understanding of urchin reproduction we can better understand how the process works in humans.