We will also quantify the amounts of nutrients released in dissolved and particulate form, and the fraction available to phytoplankton. Another objective is to quantify the impact of nutrient release on phytoplankton nutrient deficiency, growth, and community structure. Finally, a computer simulation model will be developed which predicts the impacts of zebra mussels, through nutrient cycling, on a whole-ecosystem scale.
Consumers can have large impacts on other organisms.
Invading species such as the zebra mussels can have large impacts on lakes, especially on ecosystem-level properties such as nutrient cycling. An understanding of how zebra mussels impact nutrient cycling will allow better estimation of their impacts on lakes as they invade North America. Methods will include field and lab experiments and computer simulations. Field experiments in Lake Erie will quantify the seasonal variation in nutrient excretion by zebra mussels and their impact on phytoplankton. This research will allow a better understanding of the ecosystem-level impacts of zebra mussels, specifically impacts on nitrogen and phosphorous cycling.