Zebra Mussel
Scientific name: Dreissena polymorpha
Common name: Zebra muscle
Native to: Eurasia
Life cycle:
- The Zebra mussel matures at a very quick rate. This paired with the monstrous amount of eggs that are produced by females every year, is why the muscle was able to become such a big problem, so fast
- It only takes 2-3 weeks after birth for larvae to attach on to something and make It their home, where they form clusters which leads to more reproduction
How did they get here?
- brought over to the Great Lakes in the ballast water and underside of ships of ships that were transporting cargo from the muscle’s native Asia.
Impact: The Muscles clog water pipes, leading to pipe bursts, and inabilities for cities and households to function, causing millions in damage that comes out of taxpayer revenue
- They also attach to the bottom of recreational boats, which spread them even farther through the shorelines of the US
- Swimmers can cut themselves on a cluster of these muscles, due to the muscles attaching themselves to rocks near shorelines
- clog irrigation intakes and other pipes.
- Without public management, the expected net economic impact from zebra mussels is a loss of $244.1 million over 20 years. Control: -Pesticides have been used to try and control zebra muscle populations, but this is ineffective due to the rapidness of their life cycle and spread. This practice can also have a negative effect on the native species of plants and animals, who can be affected by pesticides that were not originally meant for them
- It is a prohibited invasive species, which means import, possession, transport, and introduction into the wild is prohibited.