Outdoor mesocosm test tanks used to determine the impacts of Zequanox exposure on nontarget animals.

Description of Work

Relevance & Impact

Key Findings

• A study to evaluate the safety of Zequanox to nontarget macroinvertebrates found that exposure at the maximum approved concentration and exposure duration caused no significant mortality or treatment-related histopathological changes to amphipods (Gammarus lacustris) and mayfly nymphs (Hexagenia spp).
• A study to evaluate the effects of Zequanox exposure on spawning and early life stages of the fathead minnow (Pimephalas promelas) found no significant effect on survival and condition of adult and newly hatched fry, egg deposition, and hatchability. Preliminary findings of a study to evaluate the non-target animal impacts of Zequanox exposure to the critical Great Lakes fish species, lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) and lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) found little to no impact to lake sturgeon and moderate impact on the survival and growth of lake trout.
• Preliminary findings of a study to evaluate the use of electrified fields to control dreissenid mussels found that significant mortality was observed after 24 hours of continuous exposure to pulse direct current at voltage gradients of ~30V/cm. These findings indicate that dreissenids are highly resistive to the effects of electrified fields.
• Preliminary findings of a study to evaluate the use of carbon dioxide to control dreissenid mussels in cool water (12°C) found that elevated CO2 induced narcotization of mussels within 24 h and caused loss of byssal attachment. Significant mortality was observed in extended exposure (48-96 h) to carbon dioxide.
• Experiments recently found that treatment of quagga mussels with Microcystis inhibited spawning and fertilization success. On-going experiments aim to identify the active components within the algae that reduce reproductive success of quagga mussels.  If successful, we can test these components on potential biocontrols in mesocosm experiments.
• A study to evaluate Taqman probes for species identification found that using zebra mussel-specific primers and Taqman probes could accurately identify DNA from zebra mussels.

Products

• The Invasive Mussel Collaborative was developed and allows for a one-stop shop for dreissenid mussel research, literatures and resources. The IMC can be found at http://invasivemusselcollaborative.net/research/.

Presentations

• Application and Assessment of Zequanox.  Present as an Invasive Mussel Collaborative webinar.  July 22, 2015.  Luoma, J., Waller, D., Severson, J., Wise, J., Weber, K., Mayer, D., Eckert, N., and Aloisi, D.
• Use of electrified fields for dreissenid mussel control.  Presented at 19th International Conference on Aquatic Invasive Species.  April 10-14, 2016, Winnipeg, MB.  Luoma, J. A., Dean, J. and Severson, T. J.
• Evaluation of CO2 as a dreissenid mussel control tool.  Presented at the Upper Mississippi River Research Consortium, La Crosse, WI, April 28, 2016. Waller, D., Bartsch, M., Barbour, M., Wise, J., and Severson, T.
• Effects of cyanobacteria on quagga mussel reproduction.  Presented at the Society of Freshwater Science, Sacramento, CA, May 23, 2016.  Boegehold, A., Kashian, D., Johnson, N., and Alame, K.
• Cyanobacteria reduces quagga mussel sperm movement. Presented at the Society of Freshwater Science, Sacramento, CA, May 23, 2016. Alame, K., Boegehold, A., Johnson, N.S., and Kashian, D. R.
• The potential use of eDNA to guide site selection for zebra mussel control treatments. U.S. Geological Survey environmental DNA webinar series, December 17, 2015. Merkes, C.M., Rees, C.B., Amberg, J.J., Luoma J.A.