When zebra mussel populations are high, what should researchers monitor instead of just relying on water clarity as an indicator of ecosystem health?

Answer

The quality and composition of the remaining plankton community structure

Relying solely on increased water clarity in a zebra mussel-infested area provides an incomplete, and potentially misleading, assessment of ecosystem health. When populations are dense, the water can appear pristine, but the nutritional quality driving the ecosystem may have collapsed. Therefore, water managers and researchers must shift monitoring focus to the composition of the plankton that remains. If testing shows a dominance of very large algae or detritus—food sources the mussels are rejecting due to size or low digestibility—it strongly indicates that the mussels have already consumed the nutritionally rich, appropriately sized food, leaving behind a low-value residue for the rest of the native grazers.

When zebra mussel populations are high, what should researchers monitor instead of just relying on water clarity as an indicator of ecosystem health?

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dietinvasive specieszebra musselBivalve