Aquatic Nuisance Project
Fact Sheet

Species: Zebra Mussel

zm-scatter

(Dreissena polymorpha)

Zebra mussels have disrupted the traditional aquatic food chains of many inland lakes. Their voracious filter feeding depletes the availability of microscopic organisms that play a critical part in each lake’s ecological food web.

ANS Examples

Chinese Mitten Crab

mittencrab

(Eriocheir sinensis)

Poses a potential threat to native invertebrates and to the ecological structure of freshwater and brackish estuarine communities