During the summer of 1988 zebra mussels migrated south to the Detroit River into Lake Erie. Their presence was confirmed in the other Great Lakes. The mussels have also been confirmed in various sites in the Mississippi and Illinois River. Zebra mussels filter feed particles of water. They prefer smaller food organisms and have a slower filtration rate than other bivalves.
Phytoplankton forms the major food source of zebra mussels in lakes.
This is found only in still and slow moving water bodies. It is believed that in rivers, the zebra mussel feeds on detritus. A female adult zebra mussel can produce 30,000 to 40,000 eggs per season. The larvae of zebra mussels are free-swimming forms unlike these of other freshwater mussels. The zebra mussel only started populating the United States in the past six years.