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Moussa Chehab, Rida Farook, and Dr. Donna Kashian, Department of Biological Sciences, Wayne State University, 42 W Warren Ave, Detroit Michigan 48202
Recently there has been an emphasis on studying algal blooms in global water systems. Microcystin released by cyanobacteria during summer algal blooms can affect Quagga Mussels’ spawning rates. Quagga Mussels are an invasive species that have been brought over from the Dnieper River in Ukraine and were found in the Great Lakes in 1989. We will be studying mussels from Lake Mohave, Nevada and the Detroit River, Michigan. Our goal is to compare oxidative stress response to microcystin in these two groups of mussels to determine if location is a confounding variable that could affect their response. Testing quagga mussels’ oxidative stress shows us how these species respond to environmental stress. We will be testing oxidative stress every 24 hours for 72 hours using lipid peroxidation and catalase activity as biomarkers for oxidative stress. We will also be testing spawning rates. We anticipate that the quagga mussels will increase in lipid peroxidation and catalase activity as exposure to microcystin increases. We also anticipate that spawning levels will decrease with increasing microcystin levels. Studying how microcystin affects the mussels’ spawning and oxidative stress response will provide an understanding about how to decrease this invasive species’ reproduction rates.
Presenters: Rida Farook, Moussa Chehab
Institution: Wayne State University
Type: Poster
Subject: Ecology
Status: Approved
