Quagga and Zebra Mussels

The introduction and rapid spread of two Eurasian mussel species, Dreissena polymorpha (zebra mussel) and Dreissena rostriformis bugensis (quagga mussel), in waters of North America has caused great concern among industrial and recreational water users. These invasive species can create substantial problems for raw water users such as water treatment facilities and power plants, and they can have other negative impacts by altering aquatic environments. In the 20 years since the first edition of this book was published, zebra mussels have continued to spread, and quagga mussels have become the greater threat in the Great Lakes, in deep regions of large lakes, and in the southwestern Unites States. Quagga mussels have also expanded greatly in eastern and western Europe since the first book edition was published.

Quagga and Zebra Mussels: Biology, Impacts, and Control, Second Edition provides a broad view of the zebra/quagga mussel issue, offering a historic perspective and up-to-date information on mussel research. Comprising 48 chapters, this second edition includes reviews of mussel morphology, physiology, and behavior. It details mussel distribution and spread in Europe and across North America, and examines policy and regulatory responses, management strategies, and mitigation efforts.

In addition, this book provides extensive coverage of the impact of invasive mussel species on freshwater ecosystems, including effects on water clarity, phytoplankton, water quality, food web changes, and consequences to other aquatic fauna. It also reviews and offers new insights on how zebra and quagga mussels respond and adapt to varying environmental conditions. This new edition includes seven video clips that complement chapter text and, through visual documentation, provide a greater understanding of mussel behavior and distribution.

Thomas F. Nalepa was a research biologist with the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Ann Arbor, Michigan, for 37 years before retiring from federal service in 2011. He is now a part-time research scientist with the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute, University of Michigan, and also maintains an emeritus position with NOAA.

Don W. Schloesser is a fisheries scientist with the Great Lakes Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Ann Arbor, Michigan. He has been at the center since 1977.

Tom and Don shared a mutual interest in benthic communities long before the first zebra mussel was reported in the Great Lakes in 1988, but it was the discovery of this organism that initiated joint collaborations and research projects. Both attended the first organized meeting on zebra mussels in North America in 1989, and in 1993 co-edited the first edition of this book. Since then, they have continued to share ideas, assess research needs, and pool resources. Joint projects on dreissenids have focused on long-term trends and spread, population dynamics, biology, and impacts on the ecosystem, particularly impacts on other components of the benthic community.