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SFS Annual Meeting

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CYANOBACTERIA REDUCE QUAGGA MUSSEL (DREISSENA ROSTRIFORMIS BUGENSIS) REPRODUCTION AND VELIGER SURVIVAL

Quagga mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) are highly fecund bivalves invasive to North American and Western European waters. Food availability may play a role in reproduction and development, whereas nutritious algae may stimulate dreissenid spawning and support veliger growth, while low quality food, such as bloom forming cyanobacteria, could be a hindrance. We investigated the role cyanobacteria play in regulating quagga mussel reproduction and veliger survival through a series of bioassays. Fertilization was quantified by exposing dreissenid eggs and sperm to thirteen cyanobacteria solutions and monitoring zygote formation. Veliger assays were conducted as 6-day chronic toxicity studies with exposure to five concentrations of cyanobacteria to determine the LC50. For all assays, controls of artificial lake water were used. Fertilization rates were reduced with exposure to cyanobacteria, while the LC50 for veligers was well below bloom concentrations. Results from this study demonstrate an antagonistic relationship between cyanobacteria and quagga mussel reproduction and veliger survival. This information can be used to model mussel populations, and further research could reveal a possible control method to limit dreissenid reproduction.

Anna Boegehold (Primary Presenter/Author), Wayne State University, az1079@wayne.edu;


Nicholas Johnson ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), USGS Great Lakes Science Center, njohnson@usgs.gov;


Donna Kashian ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Wayne State University, dkashian@wayne.edu;