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Re-evaluating Dreissena composition and distribution in the St. Louis River Estuary and Lake Superior
Citation:
Szczepanski, A., C. Hatzenbuhler, J. Hoffman, C. Larson, G. Peterson, AND A. Trebitz. Re-evaluating Dreissena composition and distribution in the St. Louis River Estuary and Lake Superior. Ecological Society of America, Portland, OR, August 06 - 11, 2023. https://doi.org/10.23645/epacomptox.23837388
Impact/Purpose:
This presenation, to be given at the 2023 Ecological Society of America's Annual Meeting, to summarize Dreissena DNA research that conducted in Lake Superior and the St Louis River Estuary.
Description:
Dreissena are an invasive genus of mussels in the Great Lakes region including the St Louis River Estuary (SLRE) and have a planktonic early stage of life (veligers) which is passive transported by currents. Previous studies led us to expect the vast majority of Dreissena to be zebra mussels (D. polymorpha) not quagga mussel (D. bugensis) within the SLRE. But in 2019, our veliger monitoring survey showed an unexpectedly high proportion of quagga mussel eDNA at the mouth of the SLRE. Which could present a higher than anticipated risk for Dreissena invasion of Lake Superior, since quagga rather than zebra mussels dominate the lower Great Lakes. Therefore in 2022, we completed a pilot study in the SLRE to help understand species composition of Dreissena from Lake Superior up through Spirit Lake by analyzing raw water, zooplankton, and bottom-settled mussel samples using DNA markers for both species. The raw water and zooplankton sample collection took place late July to mid-September, when temperatures are suitable for veliger production. The bottom-settled mussels were obtained as by-catch from 1854 Treaty Authority trawling both in August and October. We are also analyzing zooplankton samples collected from across Lake Superior for presence of veligers of the two species. We look forward to better understanding the Dreissena species distribution patterns to inform future monitoring and management.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Re-evaluating Dreissena composition and distribution in the St. Louis River Estuary and Lake Superior
PRESENTATION.PDF (PDF, NA pp, 4178.651 KB, about PDF)