Population dynamics and long-term impacts of the invasive zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) in a subtropical reservoir

Abstract

As humans continue to advance through the Anthropocene, we find that among other impacts, the rate at which species expand their range and are transplanted into new environments continues to increase. As the frequency of biological invasions increases, so too do our opportunities to understand how the environment shapes and controls these invaders, and how these invaders may in turn shape the environment they have invaded. In chapter one, I examine how key environmental characteristic can be used to predict how zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha), an aquatic invasive species, are distributed within the large subtropical reservoir Lake Texoma, and in chapter two, I look at how fine scale differences within a location structure the local population densities of zebra mussels. In chapter three, I look at how zebra mussels, once established, may in turn be altering the characteristics of their environment by increasing water clarity, even when they do not reach high densities. Chapter four considers the interactions between zebra mussels and another invasive species, the Harris mud crab (Rhithropanopeus harrisii) and how this invasive crab may play an important role as a novel predator of zebra mussels in lakes where they co-occur.