Chris Cantell Discusses Science: A mud snail scaring the scientists by Livia Cseresova

A tiny mud snail found in Lake Michigan is what now scares the scientist. They are concerned that the snail, which is reproducing very fast, might possibly hurt the ecosystem of the lake.

The Illinois Natural History claims that the scientists examined the water samples from Lake Michigan and found a population of the New Zealand mud snail. They grow to just few millimeters, what makes them uneasy to spot.

Kevin Cummings, a scientist working for the Natural History Survey said that the reproduction of snails is very very rapid and they have no natural predators in North America, which means they may spread rapidly and out-compete native invertebrates for food and living space.

The mud snail has been living in huge number in Lake Ontario since early 1990s and also in Lakes Superior and Erie, as said by Rochelle Sturtevant, who is an ecologist with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

It is unknown how the snail will do in Lake Michigan, but the scientists do know that it is native to New Zealand. It is, however, found in several western countries and except Lake Huron, in all the Great Lakes. When it is in the lake, it focuses on boats and also clothes worn by human waders.

Rochelle Sturtevant said that “Where they have gotten into streams in the western part of the country, they have cause a lot of problems. They are taking over space that should have other native species living in it.”

The Great Lakes are the home for many invasive species. According to Stuart, there are now at least 186 invasive species in the lakes.

by Livia Cseresova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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edited by Beata Biskova