Lethality of bloom forming cyanobacteria on zebra and quagga mussel veligers collected from the Detroit River

Publication Date

2019-08-07

Start Date

2016-01-01

End Date

2017-01-01

Boegehold, A.G., Johnson, N.S., and Kashian, D.R., 2019, Lethality of bloom forming cyanobacteria on zebra and quagga mussel veligers collected from the Detroit River: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9WQ5VF8.

Quagga (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) and zebra (D. polymorpha) mussels are broadcast spawners that produce planktonic, free swimming veligers, a life history strategy dissimilar to native North American freshwater bivalves. Dreissenid veligers require highly nutritious food to grow and survive, and thus may be susceptible to increased mortality rates during harsh environmental conditions like cyanobacteria blooms. However, the impact of cyanobacteria and one of the toxins they can produce (microcystin) has not been evaluated in dreissenid veligers. Therefore, we exposed dreissenid veligers to eleven distinct cultures (isolates) of cyanobacteria representing Anabaena, Aphanizomenon, Dolichospermum, Microcystis, and Planktothrix species and the cyanotoxin microcystin to determine the lethality of cyanobacteria on dreissenid veligers.

• Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC)
• USGS Data Release Products