Species Regional Summary
Dreissena polymorpha
_CDA_L098 (Black-Rocky) ( L098 )

Invasion History Vectors Impacts References

Invasion

Invasion Description

between Point Pelee and Erieau/Ontario/Lake Erie (4-11/1986, Carlton 2008)

Geographic Extent

between Point Pelee and Erieau/Ontario/Lake Erie (4-11/1986, Carlton 2008)

Vectors

Level Vector
Probable Ballast Water

Regional Impacts

Economic ImpactIndustry
Fouling of natural gas wellheads by zebra mussels, off Ontario, caused maintenance problems by 1990 (Carlton 2008).
 
Ecological ImpactFood/Prey
Diving ducks of several species (mostly Greater and Lesser Scaup, Athya marila, A. affinis) appeared in large flocks in late fall and early spring at Point Pelee, Ontario in 1991-1992. Caging experiments indicated that they sharply reduced Zebra Mussel abundance, but these effects disappeared in a few months. Ice cover prevented predation in winter (Hamilton et al. 1994).
 
Ecological ImpactParasitism
Dreissena polymorpha was found to be an important host for trematode parasites, including the cosmopolitan Echinoparyphium recurvatum which can cause fatal infections in waterfowl (Karatayev et al. 2013).
 

References

Carlton, James T. (2008) The Zebra Mussel Dreissena polymorpha found in North America in 1986 and 1987, Journal of Great Lakes Research 34: 770-773

Hamilton, Diana J.; Ankey, C. Davison; Bailey, Robert C. (1994) Predation of zebra mussels by diving ducks: An exclosure study, Ecology 15(2): 521-531


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