Rylie Smith, Sierra Stickney, Kari Minissale, Kiyoko Yokota, Paul H. Lord

Local watersheds have been infiltrated by aquatic invasive species (AIS), which are non-native organisms that may cause economic, public health, and recreational problems for community members. Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorph) and quagga mussels (D. rostiformis bugensis) are AIS that have been found and reported in Otsego Lake within the last 15 years. Zebra and quagga mussels can have severe impacts on the overall ecology of the lake, therefore it is important to monitor their populations to determine what efforts need to be taken to mitigate their impacts. It is particularly critical to survey quagga mussels at this time, which are a recent invasion and have behaviors (deeper colonization and tolerance to lower temperatures) that may allow them to have more severe effects on the dynamics within the lake. This project continues the work of Yokota Lab to survey the population, size, and age of these AIS in Otsego Lake, and analyze the ecological dynamics between the two.