Effects of zebra mussel presence on phytoplankton community structure and abundance.

Abstract

Although zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) have quickly spread throughout North American freshwater habitats and continue to colonize new areas, a few areas have remained unaffected. Those that do provide excellent opportunities to increase our understanding of patterns associated with the zebra mussel invasion and subsequent ecological change. One such community that is almost certain to be impacted is Douglas Lake in northern Michigan. A single zebra mussel was found in 1999 by a class at UMBS. There is significant private land ownership around the lake and it is well used by recreational watercraft and so is in a prime condition for the introduction of zebra mussels. As this lake is important to classes, research and recreation, it is important to monitor the changes caused by zebra mussels and should be relatively easy for future researchers to compare the results of predictive studies to actual ecosystem changes. Furthermore a predictive study in Douglas Lake could probably be confirmed within a matter of years due to the high likelihood of invasion and so could have important implications in the predictive experiments of future ecological effects both in Douglas Lake and elsewhere.