Project background
Invasive mystery snails may impact lakes by disrupting nearshore food webs and out-competing native invertebrates for food resources and habitats, leading to a decrease in density of native snails and invertebrate species. They can reduce food availability for littoral (near the shore) fish, which may be unable to consume these large invasive snails. Mystery snails can also alter nutrient cycling due to their large size and high ingestion and excretion rates. To date, the effect of Chinese mystery snails on lake ecosystems is not well understood. The outcome of this research on the effect of Chinese mystery snails on lake food webs will help quantify the impact of these invasive species on Minnesota lakes and infer to what degree these snails should be managed.
Activities:
- Select 5–7 lakes invaded by mystery snails and identify two study sites per lake.
- Conduct fieldwork to survey snail densities, collect samples for diet and stable isotope analyses, assess littoral food webs and invertebrate communities, and measure nearshore water chemistry and algal composition.
- Process samples and analyze data in the lab, quantify and compare snail and native invertebrate density and biomass, and evaluate food web changes associated with mystery snail presence.