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The zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) is a small freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Dreissenidae.The species originates from the lakes of southern Russia and Ukraine, [3] but has been accidentally introduced to numerous other areas and has become an invasive species in many countries worldwide.
This is a list of invasive species in North America.A species is regarded as invasive if it has been introduced by human action to a location, area, or region where it did not previously occur naturally (i.e., is not a native species), becomes capable of establishing a breeding population in the new location without further intervention by humans, and becomes a pest in the new location ...
The zebra mussel has become an invasive species that is frequently spread via ballast water. In North America, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and Sweden, the species has invaded native habitats. The mussels take oxygen and food from the water, limiting the resources available for native species and disrupting local ecosystems.
The invasive freshwater zebra mussels, native to the Black, Caspian, and Azov seas, were probably transported to the Great Lakes via ballast water from a transoceanic vessel. [21] Meinesz believes that one of the worst cases of a single invasive species causing harm to an ecosystem can be attributed to a seemingly harmless jellyfish.
Native Great Lakes mussel coated with zebra mussels. Another example of the migration of non-native species is Dreissena polymorpha, common name Zebra Mussel, originating in Western Asia. [5] They first appeared in North America in 1988 in Lake St Clair and have spread through the Great Lakes and other fresh waters.
The quagga mussel resembles the zebra mussel, just as its namesake (quagga) resembles the zebra. The quagga mussel shell can be distinguished from the zebra mussel shell because it is paler toward the end of the hinge. It is also slightly larger than the zebra mussel, about 20 mm (0.8 in) wide, roughly about the size of an adult human's thumbnail.
These mussels damage both ecological systems and human infrastructure. In North America, biofouling caused by dreissenids created 267 million dollars’ worth of damage between 1989 and 2004. [ 14 ] When introduced to freshwater ecosystems, dreissenids lead to a decline in indigenous marine animal populations and are also known for causing ...
Toggle Animals subsection. 3.1 Platyhelminthes. ... Many species of plants, animals, ... A shell of the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha.