Spiny waterfleas (Bythotrephes longimanus) are aquatic zooplankton (small animals) from Europe and Asia that have invaded the Great Lakes ecosystem, as well as some inland water bodies.Adults range from ¼ to ⅝ inch long and they have a single long tail with 1-3 sets of small spines along its length. Why the hell are we now managing the Great Lakes for non-native species (salmon and alewife) instead of native (perch, walleye, lake trout, deepwater sculpin) species? “You can expose them to salt water or warm temperatures, and they survive that. Bythotrephes have reached high densities throughout the Great Lakes and may be having large negative effects on fisheries. The spiny waterflea is often found on fishing line or other equipment in clumps that resemble a gelatinous blob with a texture of wet cotton. “They attempt it and spit it out. However, masses of water fleas are easily visible on fishing gear and other equipment. Although investment in the prevention of species invasions may sustain ecosystem services, these effects of invasions are rarely measured in monetary terms useful to decision makers. “In some of the fish, the spines were penetrating the stomach wall, and the stomachs looked like a pincushion with a bunch of spines sticking out of it. The spiny waterflea is a predatory zooplankton that eats other zooplankton. The population grows so quickly that it has an environmental impact on the ecosystem, and smaller fish avoid feeding on it due to a long barb-like tail spine that runs down its body, Branstrator said. The Perch in Green Bay are growing faster eating spiny fleas according to one study they were packed with them. Spiny (Bythotrephes longimanus) and fishhook (Cercopagis pengoi) waterfleas are small predacious crustaceans that threaten aquatic ecosystems and fishing by competing with native fish for food and fouling gear. Remarks: Cercopagis pengoi. Invasive species triggers a massive loss of ecosystem services through a trophic cascade Jake R. Walsha,1, Stephen R. Carpentera,1, and M. Jake Vander Zandena aCenter for Limnology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 Contributed by Stephen R. Carpenter, February 17, 2016 (sent for review January 8, 2016; reviewed by Chris Luecke, David Strayer, and Norman D. Yan) Phone: 517 432 5417 Biofouling of fishing lines, nets and trawls and aquaculture netting is a serious economic problem. The spiny water flea, Bythotrephes longimanus, is an invasive zooplankton in the Great Lakes that exhibits seasonal changes in tail spine and body length consistent with natural selection. Bythotrephes longimanus (also Bythotrephes cederstroemi), or the spiny water flea, is a planktonic crustacean less than 15 millimetres (0.6 in) long. It was first discovered in Lake George in 2012. Spiny water flea eggs can withstand many other environmental stresses. An invasive species, the spiny water flea, was recently found in a New York lake. Spiny waterfleas eat smaller, native zooplankton that are important food for both small crustaceans and native fish such as perch. “You can put them in chlorination for a few days, and they can survive that,” Branstrator said. “They came from the Black Sea area and were transported via ballast water from ships,” said John Lindgren, coordinator of the Great Lakes Lake Sturgeon Collaboration, part of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Fisheries Office. 1, pp. Overlap in range doesn’t necessitate consumption. They migrate into deeper waters during the day to hide from predators, and return to shallower water at night to find food. “The bigger fish that do consume them have a big difficulty in passing that spine, so that spine gets hung up in the stomach like a ball and needles,” Branstrator added. 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how does the spiny water flea affect the ecosystem

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