Zebra Mussels

  Zebra mussels are able to relocated by drifting in an ocean currents or attaching to surfaces(such as boats) that carry to them to nutrient-rich environments.  It was theorized that zebra mussels were introduced in 1996 during a cargo shipment from the Black sea to dock near one of the Great Lakes. Similarily, they are found in California as a result of sticking onto cargo boats/ships that made it to California shores. There they found optimal conditions to mass reproduce (up to 40,000 per female).They  look for moderate temperatures that range around 14-16*C (57.2-60.8) because they have a hard time reproducing in too warm of temperatures. Additionally, zebra mussels can often put fish populations to endangered levels because they share similar food sources and live in similar habitats. Because of this, we often see a majority of zebra mussels located around the east coast, specifically near the great lakes, where they have abundant resources and ideal reproduction conditions. Under normal circumstances, females can lay up to 1 million eggs per season, with average life spans of two to five years. They can start laying eggs within year two, which is pretty young considering the amount of time they have to lay eggs throughout their life. Because of their mass production, environmentalists are aware of their power to out-compete other species in the same habitats.