Invasion
Invasion Description
1st Record: US-Canada Border/NY-Ontario Border/St. Lawrence River (1992, Mills et al. 1996; USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program 2008)
Geographic Extent
Massena/Trois Rivieres/NY-Ontario-Quebec (1992, Mills et al. 1996; USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program 2008)
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Alternate | Ballast Water |
| Alternate | Natural Dispersal |
Regional Impacts
| Ecological Impact | Competition | |
| In the Soulanges Canal, Quebec, connecting the Ottawa and St. Lawrence Rivers, upstream of Montreal, Quagga Mussels were observed on the canal walls in 1992. By 2002, they partially replaced Zebra Mussels, comprising 79% of the mussels on the canal walls, and almost completely replaced Zebra Mussels on the canal bottom by 2003. Zebra Mussels remained abundant only at shallow depths (1-2 m), probably because of their greater tolerance of high temperatures (Ricciardi and Whoriskey 2004). At 2 of 20 sites along the St. Lawrence River, in the Montreal area, Quagga Mussels greatly exceeded Zebra Mussels in abundance. Quaggas were positively correlated with deeper water and higher calcium concentrations (Jones abd Ricciardi 2005). | ||
| Ecological Impact | Predation | |
| In Robinson Bay, off the St. Lawrence River, near Massena, NY, in mesh enclosures containing Dreissena bugensis, the abundance of the rotifer Polyarthra sp. declined drastically, indicating predation on this and other microzooplankton. Enclosures with the native mussel Elliptio complanata showed no change in rotifer abundance. Chlorophyll levels in the treatments did not differ, indicating that the effect was due to predation (Thorp and Casper 2002). | ||
| Ecological Impact | Trophic Cascade | |
| In Robinson Bay, off the St. Lawrence River, near Massena, NY, in mesh enclosures containing Dreissena bugensis, abundances of the copepods Eurytemora carolleeae (reported as E. affinis) increased dramatically, presumably due to the reduction of competition from rotifers (Thorp and Casper 2002). | ||