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Bowman, M. F., R. C. Bailey and C. G. Trick, 1996. The Potential for Zebra Mussels to Alter Food Web Dynamics, The University of Western Ontario Abstract from The Sixth International Zebra Mussel and Other Aquatic Nuisance Species Conference, Dearborn, Michigan, March 1996 The Potential for Zebra Mussels to Alter Food Web DynamicsThe invasion of zebra mussels into the Great Lakes basin is correlated with a change in the composition of the food web. Direct evidence of the impact of zebra mussel filtering has not been obtained and will be experimentally examined during this study. My hypothesis is that zebra mussels do not decrease the overall productivity of the food web but alter the cycling of carbon and the taxonomic composition. To test my hypothesis, zebra mussels have been introduced into a series of artificial ponds which have been inoculated with organisms from the Great Lakes. Seasonal variations in water chemistry (nitrate, phosphate, oxygen) and biomass of bacteria, phytoplankton, zooplankton, zebra mussels and other benthic invertebrates will be compared among mesocosms containing increasing densities of zebra mussels. Preliminary work (summer 1994) using these artificial ponds revealed a decrease in the standing stock of phytoplankton and conductivity in ponds inoculated with zebra mussels. This season, carbon cycling was monitored to more specifically assess the impact of zebra mussels on the communities. An advanced understanding of how zebra mussels can affect the food web by controlling a closed environment will be valuable in assessing the role they play in the Great Lakes system.
Keywords: Zebra_mussel, Ecological_interactions, Basic_biology |