Impact of the Zebra Mussel, a Bivalve Invader

Abstract

Just when the threat of a Russian invasion of North America seemed to have disappeared with the end of the Cold War, an invasion has been found to be not only under way but proving to be successful. Rather than missiles, a naval force of hordes of zebra mussels has secured beachheads in many US and Canadian lakes and rivers. One could call it biological warfare, but not directed by any human admiral. The freshwater bivalve mollusk Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas 1773), better known as the zebra mussel, is a native of southern Russia; since its introduction into the Great Lakes,