The Zebra Mussels In The Great Lakes
Imagine your house being invaded with foreign people disrupting your everyday life and threatening your existence. This is the sad reality of the Great lakes which have been bombarded with over 70 invasive species, including the Zebra Mussel. The Zebra Mussel has taken over the Great Lakes bottom, disrupting native food chains, environments, and species. The Zebra Mussel have endangered many native species and pose a threat to humans as well. With Zebra Mussels taking over the Great Lakes and threatening our natural resources, it clearly shows that action must be taken to protect a natural resource from an invasive species. To understand the full effects of Zebra Mussel’s we must first understand were they came from. Zebra Mussels first arrived in the Great Lakes in 1988 through cargo ships ballasts.(Zebra Mussel (Dreissena Polymorpha)) Ballasts tanks are
…show more content…
Zebra Mussel larvae were sucked up into a ship's tank in Europe. The ship then came over to the Great Lakes through the St. Lawrence seaway. In order to raise the ship out of the water to avoid underwater hazards the ship drains the ballast tanks. In doing so the ship let out the larvae of Zebra Mussels introducing them into the Great Lakes. Once the Zebra Mussels established themselves in Lake Erie, they spread quickly through the rest of the lakes by local boaters, birds, cargo ships and natural reproduction. Native species of the Great Lakes face a formidable foe in the Zebra Mussels. At first glance people don’t expect much from a small mussel, but Zebra Mussels massive amounts of strain on the ecosystem. One Zebra Mussel can filter one liter of water a day removing all nutrients
Zebra Mussel larvae were sucked up into a ship's tank in Europe. The ship then came over to the Great Lakes through the St. Lawrence seaway. In order to raise the ship out of the water to avoid underwater hazards the ship drains the ballast tanks. In doing so the ship let out the larvae of Zebra Mussels introducing them into the Great Lakes. Once the Zebra Mussels established themselves in Lake Erie, they spread quickly through the rest of the lakes by local boaters, birds, cargo ships and natural reproduction. Native species of the Great Lakes face a formidable foe in the Zebra Mussels. At first glance people don’t expect much from a small mussel, but Zebra Mussels massive amounts of strain on the ecosystem. One Zebra Mussel can filter one liter of water a day removing all nutrients