Taylor Hopkins; November 25, 2008

MOLLUSCA: ZEBRA MUSSEL

References:
<ref>http://
en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/
Zebra_mussel<re
f>|

<ref>http://
www.gma.org/
surfing/human/
zebra.html<ref>|

<ref>http://
www.seagrant.u
mn.edu/ais/
zebramussel<ref
>|

<ref>http://
nationalatlas.gov/
articles/biology/
a_zm.html<ref>|

Zebra Mussel Information:

The classification of the Zebra Mussel is
as follows: Kingdom: Animalia; Phylum:
Mollusca; Class: Bivalvia; Subclass:
Heterodonta; Order: Veneroida; Superfamily:
Dreissenoidea; Family: Dressenidae; Genus:
Dreissena; Species: D. polymorpha.
Distinguishing characteristics of phyla,
and class: A characteristic of the Mollusca
phylum includes it being bilateral symmetry. Its
body has no more than two cell layers, tissues,
and organs. It has a body without cavity, and
its body also poccesses through its gut with its
mouth and anus. These mussels have an open
circulatory system with a heart and an aorta,
and it also has kidneys. Reproduction is done
by sexual or gonochoristic. Characteristics for
Bivalves (class) are that they have a two-part
shell, they have highly reduced heads, simple
nervous and sensory systems, simple eyes, and
an open circulatory system. Close relatives:
A very close relative to the zebra mussel is the
quagga mussel. Its related in many different
ways. Another relative to these mussels are
clams. In particular, its mostly related to the
venus clam. Present Locations: Zebra
mussels originally were from lakes of southeast
Russia. They were accidently introduced to
1
many other countries. Some countries are
Hungary, Cambridgeshire, London, the
Netherlands, Bohemia (now The Czech
Republic) , Sweden, and Italy. In the United
States, they live in the Great Lakes. They soon
spread to the Mississippi, Hudson, St.
Lawrence, Ohio, Cumberland, Missouri,
Tennessee, Colorado, and Arkansas rivers.
Habitat: Zebra mussels live in fresh water.
They live in a wide range of environmental
conditions. Niche: The niche of the zebra
mussel is being a filter feeder. Everyday it
filters out the algae. Position in the Food
Chain: Many things consume zebra mussels.
These are crayfish, waterfowl, muskrats, and
several species of fish. Zebra mussels eat algae
and feed by filtering the water through a
siphon, up to a liter per day. Adaptations:
An adaptation the mussel is great at is with
temperature change. They are able to cope
with the rising temperature under global
change. They have a great heat tolerance.
They can survive periods of desiccation,
turbidity, and hypoxia. Reproduction:
Spawning usually begins in the months of late
spring to early summer by free-swimming
larvae. Females can produce 30,000 to
100,000 eggs a year! Other Interesting
Information: Zebra mussels are huge pests.
They cover undersides of docks, boats, and
anchors. They can grow so densely in
pipelines, that they can block them. They’re
shells are also very sharp, and has been known
to cut people’s feet. The good thing about
them is that they cleanse water, letting sunlight
through, and it is beneficial to fish most of the
time. Original Location: They are native to
the lakes of southeast Russia. These
accidently spread to many other areas.
Reasons for Relocation: They were not
purposely relocated. It is believed that maybe
the zebra mussel attached to boats, ships, and
anchors. Effects on other Species: Zebra
mussels cleared up waters for fish. But this was
bad for organisms living in the murky water
and eating the seaweed. It’s believed that they
are the source of the deadly avian botulism
poisoning that has killed tens of thousands of
birds. Laws: Boaters are asked to thoroughly
clean and dry their boats and equipment
before traveling to other bodies of water. They
put flyers up in some places to advise people
how to stop the zebra mussels from spreading.
An example is to not pick any of them up.