The Zebra Mussels In The Hudson River

Zebra Mussels in the Hudson River There is a large population of zebra mussels in the Hudson River. The zebra mussel migrated from Europe on the bottom of boats. This organism’s population has greatly increased in the last few years and is causing many problems for the environment. The zebra mussel has a very negative effect on the environment surrounding the Hudson River because they are depleting the food supply of the fish, causing changes in the water, and taking up a lot of room. The Zebra Mussel is rapidly decreasing the food supply for fish in the river. There are many microorganisms in the river who’s numbers have been affected by the introduction of the Zebra Mussel. For instance, the number of phytoplankton has been decreased
For example, there are three main Abiotic factors, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and suspended solids. Dissolved oxygen is a very important factor in the survival of organisms in the river. Studies show that “Both producers and consumers (like zebra mussels) take up oxygen during respiration causing oxygen levels to drop. Zebra mussels also reduce oxygen levels by eating producers (like phytoplankton) that release O2 during photosynthesis” (river ecology pg.5). This effect that the zebra mussels have is a very negative effect. The reduced oxygen levels will make it so animals can no longer live in the river. This causes the area to lose a major food supply to the larger animals surrounding it. This will have a huge impact on the environment and the food
Since they have been introduced, there have been a decreased number of other organisms for many reasons, with one being that there just isn’t enough room for all of the different species. Scientists say that “if you had a huge balance and put zebra mussels on one side, they would outweigh all the other consumers in the ecosystem combined.” (River ecology pg.6). With the zebra mussels taking up over half of the population of the river, there isn’t much room left for other organisms. The lack of diversity in the river is a huge problem to the food chain, because once a species no longer exists, it is hard for larger animals to find a new supply of food. This again will cause a decrease in surrounding animals, and could even cause some animals to become