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New research has revealed that quagga mussels have taken charge of circling phosphorus stored in North America s great lakes, thereby decreasing the level of phosphorus.
Unquestionably North America s lake is the largest connected water system in the world. In more than 30 years, the entirety of their biology has changed following the installation of intrusive populations of zebra and quagga mussels. This has resulted in a huge reduction in the multitude of native plants and animals.
(Photo : Josh Serenso )
The Invasion
The cycling of the lake s stores of phosphorus, one of the few components fundamental to nearly all life, has been taken over by the quagga mussels according to a new study. Many European lakes might be headed for similar reduction, now that the mussels are spreading there the authors warned.