The Invasive Golden Mussel Quiz

Invasive Golden Mussels Threaten the Amazon River

• The golden mussel, an invasive species from China, is threatening the Amazon River and its unique ecological system.
• The golden mussel reproduces often and releases microscopic larvae that float with the current to new territories, attaching to hard surfaces and forming large, reef-like structures.
• The golden mussel has devastated native clam species in South America by attaching themselves onto local molluscs, sealing them shut.
• The larvae and juveniles of golden mussels have gone into hydroelectric and water treatment plants, clogging pipes and forcing officials to spend millions of dollars every year to clear them out.
• Golden mussels are filter feeders, altering phosphorous and nitrogen levels in the water and producing blooms of toxic algae that can be deadly to animals and humans.
• The golden mussel population has been kept in check in the Pantanal wetlands in western Brazil, but the wetlands are only 1,200 miles away from waters linked to the Amazon.
• The golden mussel could easily reach the Amazon through ballast water contamination or clinging to the hull of a boat.
• Brazil has a law requiring ships to stop at least 200 miles off the coast and empty ballast water, but enforcement is not always effective.
• Researchers are working on engineering a virus or other biological agent to prevent the golden mussels from reproducing.
• The success of this solution could be huge from an economic and biodiversity protection standpoint.
• However, it could take at least four years to develop a solution, and the golden mussel could reach the Amazon in the meantime.
• Experts compare the golden mussel to the zebra mussel, another invasive species that colonized the Great Lakes and eventually spread down the Mississippi River.