When it comes to spooky Halloween tales, sometimes the real life ones can be scarier than any fiction! In the spirit of the season, let’s take a look at some of the real life monsters creeping into our state – invasive species!
In any ecosystem, there are species which are native, or naturally part of that system. In a perfect world, everything works together to keep the system in balance, and every species has a part to play. Sometimes though, exotic species get added in to the mix. Some exotic species are fairly well behaved and don’t cause too many problems for the ecosystem – we call those simply “introduced” species. Unfortunately, not all exotic species play well with others. We call them “invasive” or even “noxious” species.
Zebra mussels are an invasive species that many Kansans are familiar with. Originally from the Black and Caspian Seas in Europe, zebra mussels were discovered in the United States in 1988. Scientists believe the small, striped clams hitched a ride in the ballast water of ships heading from Europe to the Great Lakes. In just 28 short years the mussels have spread from the Great Lakes throughout the Midwest, all the way to the East Coast, as far south as Louisiana, north into Canada, and as far west as Kansas. Zebra mussels are present in Lake Wilson and Kanopolis Lake.
So why are we worried about a tiny little mussel? They’re not even an inch long, how much damage can they do? A lot! Zebra mussels spread quickly, and can form colonies that clog pipes and motors, causing many issues at plants generating hydroelectric power as well as municipal water supplies. The mussels also cause problems with their eating habits. All mussels are filter feeders – taking in water and filtering out plankton. Zebra mussels are big eaters – one mussel can filter up to a liter of water each day. Filtering water doesn’t sound so bad, but native mussels and fish rely on the same plankton zebra mussels are devouring. The super clear water zebra mussels leave behind can also cause problems – too much sunlight can reach the bottom of a water body, causing algae blooms and damage to fish eggs.
Controlling the spread of zebra mussels is hard – anything that we could add to the water to get rid of the mussels would seriously damage our local wildlife and plants. The best control is prevention. If you boat in Lake Wilson or Kanopolis, make sure to clean your equipment well before you use it in another waterway. Make sure you’ve drained all water from your boat, and don’t take fish, plants, or water from one water body to another.
Some exotic plants can be just as spooky as exotic animals. Phragmites, or the common reed, is an aggressive invasive plant that makes its home in wetlands, and has begun to invade Cheyenne Bottoms. The “common reed” doesn’t sound so scary, but Phragmites has some dark secrets hiding behind its mild exterior. The plant spreads aggressively, blocking sunlight from the ground and preventing other native plants from growing. It grows in tightly packed stands which make it difficult for native wildlife like ducks and other waterfowl to move in the reeds. Phragmites even releases a toxin that can be damaging to seedlings of other plant species. I bet it sounds a lot scarier now!
Phragmites has strong, deep roots that make it extremely difficult to eradicate from a wetland – the plant can survive burning. Disking simply spreads pieces of the plant around, allowing the plant to regenerate from bits of its root. Getting rid of this wetland pest is a huge job that requires combining several extermination methods. Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area staff have been working hard to control the invader.
These two exotic and invasive species are just two of the hundreds of introduced species here in Kansas. While some new species play nice with our native ecosystem, there’s always the risk that a new species will be harmful! Want to know more about invasive species in Kansas? The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism is a great place to start – their page on aquatic nuisance species has all sorts of great information about zebra mussels and more: http://ksoutdoors.com/Fishing/Aquatic-Nuisance-Species. If plants have you curious, the Kansas Native Plant Society has a list of invasive plants found in Kansas: http://www.kansasnativeplantsociety.org/invasive_plants.php. As always, if you’ve got questions, feel free to give us a call at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center. Our phone number is 1-877-243-9268 and we’re always happy to help!