Photos Vanishing Crustacean
While the scientists cannot yet directly prove the invasive mussels are pushing out both Diporeia and native Great Lakes mussels, which are also on the decline, one key clue is that the tiny, local crustaceans still have a stable population in Lake Superior, which contains low calcium levels. Mussels need calcium for shell development, so the foreign mussels haven't spread as much there. Climate change probably is not directly affecting Diporeia, according to Tomas Hook, a Purdue University scientist who is also investigating the problem. "These animals live on the bottom of lakes in very deep areas where temperatures are rather stable and cold," Hook told Discovery News, before adding that climate change might, however, adversely change the lakes' algal communities, and these perturbations could ripple down the food chain. Next month, a paper authored by a team of researchers, led by Purdue's Marisol Sepulveda, will be published in the journal Aquatic Toxicology. It outlines how Sepulveda's group has been identifying substances involved in Diporeia metabolism. These are chemicals that allow the organisms to respond to stress. Although the study could not point a finger at the zebra and quagga mussels, it did find that commonly used pesticides, such as atrazine, decrease the stress response in Diporeia, leaving it more susceptible to the mussel invasion and the diseases they spread. Sepulveda, an assistant professor of ecotoxicology and aquatic animal health, told Discovery News that there is reason for hope, because she is confidant "that our multidisciplinary team of scientists will help us find some answers that will pinpoint the definitive cause(s) of Diporeia declines."
Jennifer Viegas' blog: Born Animal |
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