Michigan scientists covered invasive zebra mussels with weighted lakebed mats and pumped carbon dioxide underneath; after five days, mortality of caged mussels topped 80%
The approach is based partly on earlier laboratory research suggesting that carbon dioxide can be more harmful to zebra mussels than to some native freshwater mussels. Zebra mussels are small, but their impact on freshwater ecosystems can be enormous. Once established, the invasive shellfish can blanket lakebeds, crowd out native species and alter the communities…
