Book dossier

Quagga and Zebra Mussels

by Thomas F. Nalepa, Don Schloesser

"The introduction and rapid spread of the zebra mussel in North American waters has caused great concern among industrial and recreational users of these waters. This bivalve mollusk is a biofouler that attaches to any firm substrate (e.g. rocks, piers, water intake pipes, boat hulls) and has already created significant problems for raw water users such as water treatment plants and power plants. Quagga and Zebra Mussels : Biology, Impacts and Control provides essential information regarding the biology of the zebra mussel in North America and Europe, presents case studies of environmental and industrial impacts, and outlines control strategies. Summary articles detail its life history, origins, and morphology. The book also examines techniques used to culture and maintain this organism in the laboratory. Thirty-two color plates illustrate some of the dramatic problems created by the explosive population growth of this species. Quagga and Zebra Mussels : Biology, Impacts, and Control is an important resource for ecologists, conservationists, environmental consultants, water quality engineers, regulatory officials, power utilities, and libraries"-- "The discovery of the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, in Lake St. Clair in 1988 signaled what was to become a major threat to the St. Lawrence Great Lakes. It became a matter of great concern when it combined with frazzle ice to clog the water intake pipes to Monroe, Michigan in 1989 and also when its rapid spread and exponential population growth threatened cooling water supplies to electric power plants, especially nuclear power plants, and industries around the Great Lakes. The zebra mussel also brought attention to aquatic organisms as invasive species. D. polymorpha and its related species, the quagga mussel D. rostriformis bugensis, would adversely impact other aquatic organisms and bring about changes in all the Great Lakes, except Lake Superior, by altering the food web, water clarity, water chemistry, and even the sediments and beaches. Furthermore, it appears that these changes may have altered the environment to favor the establishment of other invasive species"--