I felt this investigation was important since these creatures are pretty much destroying the Great Lakes. Studying the quagga was a bit of an adventure. The pesky quagga. There are so many strange things about them. One unusual aspect he found is a proliferation of fibroblast-like cells in the quagga's stomach.
Fibroblasts are cells that make collagen and connective tissue proteins.
Another unusual quality of the quagga is its remarkable ability to filter water. At first thought that would seem like a good thing, but by clearing the water of microorganisms the zebra and quagga mussels seriously alter the Great Lakes ecosystem. Also, since the mussels are much more efficient feeders than clams are, several clam species, particularly in the Detroit River, are now endangered. We were hoping we could find the difference in the zebra and quagga digestive systems, so that we could help prevent the spread of the quagga. Sinnamon's stu dy is also important because so little research on the quagga exists.