Mighty Amazon River threatened by tiny golden mussels

#mussel #amazonriver #invasivespecies #foodchain The world's mightiest waterway is the Amazon River and it is threatened by the tiny golden mussels – these one inch long are from China and the rate at which they breed has sent alarming signals to those in authority as reported in foxnews.com dated 5 February 2015.
These creatures had had hitched its way to South America in the early 1990s, and has kept adding to its list of new territories at they plough through the indigenous flora and fauna and has thrown its nets into five countries.
The scientists are worried that in case this fearsome invasive species enters the Amazon, it would be a real threat to the ecological systems.
The golden mussel is usually no more than an inch in length, is a hardy breeder and reproduces nine months a year – they set free clouds of microscopic larvae that float with the current to new territories. They get stuck to any hard surface like river bedrock, stones, man-made structures and even each other and create large reef-like structures.
The worst part is their ability to clog pipes and, that has forced operators of hydroelectric and water treatment plants in Sao Paulo state, Buenos Aires, Argentina etcetera to spend millions of dollars every year to clear them out with chemical drips or shut down turbines to scrape out giant mussel formations.
Experts are of the opinion that while the thriving mussel colonies would translate into more food for local fish and ducks, the resultant disruption of the food chain could cause upsets in the local eco-systems. This is what Hugh MacIsaac, a professor at the University of Windsor, in Ontario, Canada, who studies invasive aquatic species feels.