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Potential For Population Regulation Of The Zebra Mussel By Finfish And The Blue Crab In North American Estuaries, Larry C. Boles, Rom Lipcius

VIMS Articles

We conducted a series of descriptive and manipulative experiments aimed at quantifying the abundance, natural mortality, and effectiveness of predators in controlling the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, in the Hudson River Estuary. First, we measured distribution, abundance, and mortality rates of a zebra mussel population in the middle portion of the Hudson River Estuary, NY. Rocks were collected along a depth gradient in the field and sampled for the density and size structure of the resident mussels over the growth season. Next, we either allowed access (controls) or denied access (predator exclusion) to predators in field experiments with rocks harboring …