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When zebra mussels colonized Lake Erie, it began to recover

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Re: When zebra mussels colonized Lake Erie, it began to recover

#11

Post by marcus_holmes »

jaspax wrote: post #6
rob74 wrote: post #5

While I understand the point about zebra mussels cleaning up lake Erie, I can't agree with the idea that we should welcome all invasive species. After all, the presence of e.g. feral cats on various islands or foxes in Australia is just another one of the messes humans made, and we should feel as responsible for the damage they do as we feel responsible for pollution. Zebra mussels may be one of the few examples wher…

I don't think that Greer is claiming that we should "welcome all invasive species" as much simply pointing out that Nature doesn't stand still. What we call an "invasive species" is, from a broader perspective, simply Nature adapting to changing circumstances, which includes opening up new habitat to previously unknown species. This only looks odd or threatening if we assume that Nature should be static and fixed, an…

Also, that evolution works by "the survival of the fittest". If an invasive species (that didn't evolve in the environment it's invading) is better-suited to the environment than the native species (who did evolve there, and by rights should be better suited to it), then that's a win for evolution. The fitter species survive, and will then evolve into the niches available.

The introduction of mammals to New Zealand is a disaster for the birds that live there and that have evolved into all the niches available. But for the planetary biosphere, it's a win because the mammals are better suited to living there (otherwise they wouldn't be so successful).

Cane toads, though... that one is going to be interesting.

Re: When zebra mussels colonized Lake Erie, it began to recover

#12

Post by pvaldes »

kingosticks wrote: post #7
devoply wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes and yet humans hate zebra mussels and label them an invasive species because they are an economic menace screwing with pipes and ship hulls and costing billions of dollars of economic damage.

What happens to a boat hull if you don't clear the mussels off? Do they actually damage it or does it just look unsightly?

Will block the ballast water system (entry and exit). Will interfere with any bail water operation. Will increase the often huge fuel bill (more resistence to move in water). Will damage and increase friction in moving parts of the propeller. Will block water cooling systems putting the engine in risk. Will increase painting and cleaning bills. Will scratch rubber buoys that will need to be replaced faster. Will significatively ease bioincrustation by bigger animals

And of course it cuts human skin

Re: When zebra mussels colonized Lake Erie, it began to recover

#13

Post by kibwen »

> Some of my readers may remember media stories from 1969, when the Cuyahoga River, which flows into Lake Erie, caught fire one hot summer day—yes, it had that much toxic waste in it.

This actually understates the situation; the Cuyahoga caught fire no less than thirteen times since 1868. The 1969 fire was merely the one that served as a rallying cry to pass legislation to take action. https://www.alleghenyfront.org/how-a-burning-river-helped-cr...

Re: When zebra mussels colonized Lake Erie, it began to recover

#16

Post by dole »

We had ConEd workers come to our schools in Ohio in the 80-90's to educate us about how they had to spend millions of dollars and hundreds of man-hours annually power washing the mussels out of the lakewater cooling pools and pipes at the Fermi II nuclear plant between Detroit and Toledo because the mussels prefer the warmer waters.

I cursed and still cursed stepping on the sharp mussel shells lining the now clean and swimmable beach waters of Lake Michigan. Decades of misplaced vitriol.

https://goo.gl/maps/VrWdpomeGvXZcFsJ6

Re: When zebra mussels colonized Lake Erie, it began to recover

#17

Post by tw04 »

kingosticks wrote: post #7
devoply wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes and yet humans hate zebra mussels and label them an invasive species because they are an economic menace screwing with pipes and ship hulls and costing billions of dollars of economic damage.

What happens to a boat hull if you don't clear the mussels off? Do they actually damage it or does it just look unsightly?

It's not just boats. These invaded the river I grew up on and I was fortunate enough to step on one while wading. It cut me bad enough I probably should have had stitches. While they may be good for cleaning a lake/river, they make it completely useless for swimming/wading without sturdy footwear

Re: When zebra mussels colonized Lake Erie, it began to recover

#20

Post by canada_dry »

Every time I read stories about how polluted our (US/Canada) streams and lakes are it makes me shutter to think of how monumentally bad China must be with little to no environmental protection!

This recent video of just one small, insignificant shop in China for example. It needs to somehow dispose of thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83GDV0xsTTs) and my suspicion is that it goes into local rivers.

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