Abstract
Invasive Zebra (Dreissena polymorpha) and Quagga (Dreissena r. bugensis) mussels pose a serious threat to both water infrastructure and aquatic ecosystems in the Upper Mississippi River basin and across North America as they continue to spread. Much of the research on waterbodies resistant to dreissenid mussel establishment has focused on physiochemical characteristics such as calcium, pH, salinity, temperature, or dissolved oxygen; however, understanding the relationships between hydrodynamic-hydrologic processes and biologic processes (external fertilization, larval transport and settling, and suspension feeding) provides a unique opportunity to identify waterbodies and habitats within waterbodies that are resistant or resilient to dreissenid mussel establishment. We will investigate the effect of hydrodynamic and hydrologic forces (current, wave action, turbulence) as potential controls for establishing invasive mussels through laboratory experiments on larval mortality and settling and adult mussel suspension feeding. The relationships developed in the laboratory will be verified at the field scale by comparing them to existing data and hydraulic model results. The results of this study can be used to i) identify resistant or resilient areas in waterbodies and watersheds, ii) inform management activities to create resistant or resilient habitat, iii) design new control strategies that rely on managing flow and corresponding fluid and hydrologic conditions, and ultimately, reduces the effects of invasive dreissenid mussels on aquatic ecosystems.