Several summers ago, it plunged into a full-tilt study of the potential zebra mussel invasion. From trying to discover how and if zebra mussels spread to Lake George to finding ways to impede their propagation, the DFWI has been investigating the mystery for several summers now. At locations where larvae have been found, they place spat traps, special underwater platforms where maturing larvae can settle and grow. Rensselaer scientists have also developed a special DNA probe to detect larvae at their microscopic development phase. In addition, the DFWI provides educational materials that teach people how to recognize zebra mussels and how to prevent importing adults or larvae on their boats or in bait buckets.
Researchers think their undoing is the water itself.
Other factors may be involved, such as a lack of magnesium or low pH. What remains to be seen is if the mussels will overcome these barriers, or if they are forever doomed in Lake George waters. In controlled experiments, the mussels demonstrated a voracious appetite for dangerous pathogens - filtering unhealthy microbes out of water as they feed. Which means they could actually be an asset as a contaminant remover in certain bodies of water. Zebra mussel studies are part of a much larger and vital effort at Rensselaer to understand and protect our planet. The DFWI field station on Lake George and its research headquarters on the Rensselaer campus, including the expansive Keck Water Quality Laboratory, are all part of the DFWI's mission to greatly extend scientific knowledge of our delicate ecosystem.