Invasion
Invasion Description
1st Record: St. Catherines/Ontario/Lake Ontario (1989 USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program 2008)
Geographic Extent
St.Catherines/Ontario/Lake Ontario (1989, Center for Aquatic Resource Studies 2008); Monroe CWA, Rochester/NY/Lake Ontario, New York (1990, USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program 2008)
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Alternate | Natural Dispersal |
| Alternate | Ballast Water |
Regional Impacts
| Economic Impact | Industry | |
| Fouling of natural gas wellheads by zebra mussels, in Lake Ontario, caused maintenance problems by 1990 (Carlton 2008). | ||
| Ecological Impact | Habitat Change | |
| The Zebra Mussel invasion was accompanied by greatly increased transparency in Lake Ontario, along with a great increase in submerged macrophytes and filamentous algae (Limburg et al. 2010). The introduced amphipod Echinogammarus ischnus was strongly associated with dreissenid mussels, mostly D. polymorpha (Kang et al. 2007). | ||
| Economic Impact | Aesthetic | |
| Limburg et al. (2010) surveyed home and business owners about perceptions of water quality changes in Lake Ontario, caused by zebra mussels. There was a general positive assessment of increased water clarity, but negative perceptions of an increase in filamentous algae (Cladophora). These two changes were perceived to have opposite effects on property values, and businesses associated with recreation (Limburg et al. 2010). | ||