DOI: 10.5061/dryad.m3t6764
title: Data from: Long-term population dynamics of dreissenid mussels (Dreissena polymorpha and D. rostriformis): a cross-system analysis

description: Dreissenid mussels (including the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha and
 the quagga mussel D. rostriformis) are among the world's most
 notorious invasive species, with large and widespread ecological and
 economic effects. However, their long‐term population dynamics are poorly
 known, even though these dynamics are critical to determining impacts and
 effective management. We gathered and analyzed 67 long‐term (&gt;10
 yr) data sets on dreissenid populations from lakes and rivers across
 Europe and North America. We addressed five questions: (1) How do
 Dreissena populations change through time? (2) Specifically, do Dreissena
 populations decline substantially after an initial outbreak phase? (3) Do
 different measures of population performance (biomass or density of
 settled animals, veliger density, recruitment of young) follow the same
 patterns through time? (4) How do the numbers or biomass of zebra mussels
 or of both species combined change after the quagga mussel arrives? (5)
 How does body size change over time? We also considered whether current
 data on long‐term dynamics of Dreissena populations are adequate for
 science and management. Individual Dreissena populations showed a wide
 range of temporal dynamics, but we could detect only two general patterns
 that applied across many populations: (1) Populations of both species
 increased rapidly in the first 1–2 yr after appearance, and (2) quagga
 mussels appeared later than zebra mussels and usually quickly caused large
 declines in zebra mussel populations. We found little evidence that
 combined Dreissena populations declined over the long term. Different
 measures of population performance were not congruent; the temporal
 dynamics of one life stage or population attribute cannot generally be
 accurately inferred from the dynamics of another. We found no consistent
 patterns in the long‐term dynamics of body size. The long‐term dynamics of
 Dreissena populations probably are driven by the ecological
 characteristics (e.g., predation, nutrient inputs, water temperature) and
 their temporal changes at individual sites rather than following a
 generalized time course that applies across many sites. Existing long‐term
 data sets on dreissenid populations, although clearly valuable, are
 inadequate to meet research and management needs. Data sets could be
 improved by standardizing sampling designs and methods, routinely
 collecting more variables, and increasing support.
description: Strayer_etal_dreissena_fig1_dataFile contains the data used in Fig. 1 of the main paperstrayer_etal_dreissena_fig1.csvstrayer_etal_dreissena_fig2this file contains the data used to produce Fig. 2 in the main paperstrayer_etal_dreissena_fig3this file contains the data used to produce Fig. 3 in the main paperstrayer_etal_dreissena_fig4this file contains the data used to produce Fig. 4 in the main paperstrayer_etal_dreissena_fig5this file contains the data used to produce Fig. 5 in the main paperstrayer_etal_dreissena_figsS1+S2+S3this file contains the data used to produce Figures S1, S2, and S3 in Supplementary Materialsstrayer_etal_dreissena_figsS4+S5this file contains the data used to produce Figures S4 and S5 in Supplementary Materialsstrayer_etal_dreissena_figS6this file contains the data used to produce Figure S6 in Supplementary Materialsstrayer_etal_dreissena_figS7this file contains the data used to produce Figure S7 in Supplementary Materialsstrayer_etal_dreissena_figsS9+S10this file contains the data used to produce Figures S9 and S10 in Supplementary Materialsstrayer_etal_dreissena_figS11this file contains the data used to produce Figure S11 in Supplementary Materialsstrayer_etal_dreissena_figS12this file contains the data used to produce Figure S12 in Supplementary Materialsstrayer_etal_dreissena_figsS13+S14this file contains the data used to produce Figures S13 and S14 in Supplementary MaterialsStrayer_etal_dreissena_site_and_data_characteristicsDescription of study sites, sampling designs, and sampling methods