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Zebra Mussels
The zebra mussel, so called because of the stripes on its shell, is a mollusk that arrived in the US in 1985 and in the Hudson River around 1991. It arrived in the ballast water of a ship that unloaded its ballast into Lake Erie. Since that introduction, it has spread rapidly throughout the eastern US and parts of Canada. It has drastically changed the Hudson River and caused millions of dollars in damage.
Lesson 1- Zebra Mussel Invasion
Because of the danger of releasing even more zebra mussels into uncontaminated waters, it's illegal to obtain them for experiments. Instead students will use mystery snails for this lesson. Students will set up pond microcosms with mystery snails and monitor them for 2-3 weeks. There are several options that include manipulations such as adding fertilizer to simulate agricultural runoff or salt to simulate road salt runoff.
Lesson 2- Graphing Zebra Mussel Data
Using Hudson River data that IES scientists have collected, students will graph and analyze the effects of zebra mussels on very important zooplankton species. If students are unfamiliar with Microsoft Excel, it will be worthwhile asking them to first complete the Excel Tutorial in the Hudson River Ecosystem module (link to excel tutorial). Data for this lesson are provided on the lab sheet as well as below in an Excel spreadsheet.
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