Research Mussel(s)

The inscription at Ellis Island does NOT read: “Send us your tired, your poor, your exotic mollusks that wreck the ecosystem.”

Nonetheless, in the mid-80s, international shipping vessels dropped some seemingly harmless stowaways into American waters — and these illegal aliens are living it up in the New World. In fact, with few natural enemies, the tenacious zebra mussel has quickly proliferated throughout numerous North American rivers and lakes. From clogging water intake pipes to destroying boats and docks, as well as stealing food from other native species, they have become the bane of industry and naturalists alike.

By George, Do We Have Them?
Majestically perched at the gateway to the Adirondack Mountains, Lake George has long been one of New York state’s most popular tourist spots. Apparently word got around to a certain dime-sized, striped mollusk, because the larvae of zebra mussels were discovered there in 1999 by Rensselaer’s Darrin Fresh Water Institute (DFWI). To date, no adults have been spotted in Lake George.

Can You Say Cousteau?
The DFWI operates a state-of-the-art field station located at Lake George where researchers and students delve into a wide variety of biological and ecological issues. Since 1967, the DFWI has been dedicated to studying and protecting the fresh water bodies of the world. Outfitted with advanced scientific tools, SCUBA gear, research vessels, underwater video equipment, and more, the DFWI field station offers an incredibly exciting learning environment. Several summers ago, it plunged into a full-tilt study of the potential zebra mussel invasion.

What? How? Why?
From trying to discover how and if zebra mussels spread to Lake George to finding ways to impede their propagation, the DFWI has been investigating the mystery for several summers now. Each summer, Rensselaer researchers scan the 32-mile-long lake and look for evidence of zebra mussels and their microscopic larvae. At locations where larvae have been found, they place spat traps, special underwater platforms where maturing larvae can settle and grow. Rensselaer scientists have also developed a special DNA probe to detect larvae at their microscopic development phase. In addition, the DFWI provides educational materials that teach people how to recognize zebra mussels and how to prevent importing adults or larvae on their boats or in bait buckets.

Dying for Some Calcium?
One of the most important findings of Rensselaer’s research was indeed good news to the Lake George community: Zebra mussel larvae in Lake George water die before they reach adulthood. Researchers think their undoing is the water itself. Lake George contains low levels of calcium, which every young mussel needs to grow, and this could be the mussel’s Achilles’ heel (not to mix too many metaphors). Other factors may be involved, such as a lack of magnesium or low pH. What remains to be seen is if the mussels will overcome these barriers, or if they are forever doomed in Lake George waters.

Wait! What’s This?
In the middle of all this analysis, another interesting discovery surfaced: Zebra mussels may actually benefit the environment in some instances. In controlled experiments, the mussels demonstrated a voracious appetite for dangerous pathogens — filtering unhealthy microbes out of water as they feed. Which means they could actually be an asset as a contaminant remover in certain bodies of water.

Why Are We So Big on Zebra Mussels?
Zebra mussel studies are part of a much larger and vital effort at Rensselaer to understand and protect our planet. The DFWI field station on Lake George and its research headquarters on the Rensselaer campus, including the expansive Keck Water Quality Laboratory, are all part of the DFWI’s mission to greatly extend scientific knowledge of our delicate ecosystem. In that effort the multidisciplinary DFWI is teamed up with Rensselaer’s programs in biology, chemistry, earth and environmental sciences, engineering, environmental management, humanities and social sciences. That effort, led by professors and students, is a vital part of improving the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the planet we share with all living things.

Why not change the world?