The Water Warriors
World-class scientists at UM’s Flathead Lake Biological Station defend against harmful invasive mussels
By Dillon Tabish
Call it good timing. Jim Elser arrived at the shores of Yellow Bay in the spring of 2016 as the new director of the Flathead Lake Biological Station, the University of Montana’s storied and world-renowned research facility.
Elser brought with him a lengthy resume as a distinguished scientist and one of the world’s foremost experts in freshwater ecology. He also came with a colleague: Cody Youngbull, a physicist and entrepreneur with a Ph.D. in condensed matter physics who was developing state-of-the-art robotic sensor technology that could be used in water environments.
A few months after their arrival, the first detection of destructive aquatic invasive mussels occurred in Montana.
The discovery — first in Tiber Reservoir in north-central Montana and then in Canyon Ferry Reservoir near Helena — prompted a feverish reaction as Montanans began coming to terms with the potential for a dire scenario in one of the last places without infested waters.
The minuscule mussels, which cling to boats and other watercraft, can colonize rapidly and threaten to unleash ecological and economic consequences in Montana’s bodies of water. Many other lakes across the U.S., including the Great Lakes and Lake Mead, have fallen victim to mussel infestation, which leads to cascading effects throughout the ecosystem, including deleterious impacts to the food web and water clarity. Most noticeably, mussels promote the growth and spread of deadly algae blooms and crash fish populations.
Once zebra and quagga mussels become established in a water body, they are nearly impossible to eradicate. Luckily, they haven’t yet been found in Flathead Lake or its tributaries.
In the wake of the Tiber Reservoir discovery, state agencies scrambled to set up protocols and procedures to combat the spread of these invading mussels while also trying to figure out how many other areas across Montana were affected.
That’s when Elser and his team of scientists rose to the forefront of Montana’s mussel defense.
The Flathead Lake Biological Station, one of the oldest and most respected field stations in the country, already was well equipped to address the new invasive threat, boasting some of the best scientific minds when it comes to tracking and identifying invasive species and studying landscape connectivity.
But with Elser and Youngbull now in the mix, this corner of Montana is now home to a Dream Team of scientists and innovators at the most opportune and pivotal time.
“It is sort of a strange congruence of events,” Elser says. “I knew about Cody and was interacting with him and knew he was developing this (sensor) technology. It’s not entirely coincidental but the fact that his instrument arrives in Montana the same year that mussel detection first occurs is sort of an interesting coincidence. It was very timely.”
To properly understand the Flathead Lake Biological Station’s leading — and comprehensive — role in helping detect and prevent the spread of invasive mussels across Montana, it requires an in-depth look at all of the work being conducted at the Yellow Bay facility.
“I’m sure a lot of people who drive by the sign for (FLBS) at Yellow Bay have no idea that the groundbreaking research done there has both been acclaimed around the world and been instrumental in protecting clean water in the lake and watershed,” says Robin Steinkraus, executive director of the Flathead Lakers, a nonprofit organization devoted to protecting the Flathead watershed.
Start with Shawn Devlin and Phil Matson, equally esteemed FLBS faculty members and scientists who are experts at sampling for what’s called environmental DNA, or eDNA, which includes bits and pieces of genes that can be traced in the environment, including in water.
Using a research vessel on Flathead Lake, Devlin and Matson can drop fine-mesh nets underwater and collect everything from feces to scales and even microscopic cells from all types of aquatic species. Once the nets gather samples from across a body of water, the scientists take the particulates and insert them into a machine at the biological station. This machine — a revolutionary tool that is at the forefront of mussel defense strategies — has mapped out invasive mussel DNA, and this provides scientists a chance at identifying matches with particulates collected in the lake.
The machine can detect an organism at any life stage. In the case of mussels, this complex procedure helps scientists identify locations where potential colonies could exist and halt their spread before spawning.
The extent of the team’s resources even includes scuba equipment and divers, all helping to detect potential threats as soon as possible.
“It’s like cancer. The earlier you detect it, the more likely you are to remove it and prevent it from spreading,” says Gordon Luikart, an FLBS professor of conservation ecology and genetics. “In the water, with invasive species, we want early detection so we can stop their spread, eradicate them, slow or suppress the spread as early as possible.”
If there’s anyone in the world who understands the power of eDNA research and its potential game-changing ability in slowing the spread of invasive species, it’s Luikart.
Luikart first discovered the potential harm of invasive species as a student earning his doctorate at UM in the late 1990s. His lab, under the direction of Fred Allendorf, was involved in one of the first research projects in the nation that involved collecting DNA out of the water.
“I knew about the tool and the exciting novelty of being able to gain info without even seeing organisms in water but you can detect their presence,” he says.
He brought his expertise to the FLBS nearly a decade ago and continued his work studying all the ways that DNA identification could help solve significant questions on the landscape or riverscape, such as the status of endangered fish and wildlife populations.
Luikart’s pioneering DNA-based research to understand the ecology and conservation of native fish and wildlife species has earned him uncommon praise and placed him in some of the most respected publications and journals in his field. He was listed as one of the “highly cited researchers” in the 2015 and 2016 editions of “The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds,” an honor that highlights researchers who have produced work that is most frequently acknowledged by peers. Highly cited papers rank in the top 1 percent by citations for their field and year of publication.
“He’s a tenacious expert,” Elser says of Luikart. “He’s very influential in his field, and he’s done a lot of important work on trout fisheries and endangered species.”
As Elser describes it, Luikart’s eDNA detection system is one of the most important tools in the fight against invasive mussels.
“We don’t think there’s any other way to do early detection that’s practical,” Elser says. “It’s the only hope.”
Yet a significant challenge still remains with underwater detection, and that’s where Youngbull’s emergence is equally fateful and potentially revolutionary in its own right.
“The biggest challenge is collecting and processing lots of samples and being able to get the numbers and frequency you need to have a high probability of detection,” Luikart says.
In other words, to collect the eDNA for analysis, scientists still need to conduct old-fashioned blue-collar work by dragging nets across the lake. It requires a lot of time-consuming work and a period of waiting until results are analyzed in a lab.
Enter Youngbull.
He is developing a sensor device that can detect past and present signs of life in the depth of the lake, as well as study eDNA in the water. Youngbull has been developing this novel technology for the past decade and was putting the finishing touches on the newest prototypes in fall 2017. These sensor devices can be rigged to a buoy or other platform and collect samples from the water. The devices break down the samples into thousands of microscopic droplets that contain DNA information that can be shared on a network in real time.
In other words, no need to float around the lake with nets anymore and wait for lengthy analysis.
“The whole field of eDNA is simply exploding. That time is coming, and this instrument will play a key role in that,” Youngbull says.
This technology, when it’s fully rolled out, will revolutionize the defense against invasive mussels. It also will lead to an array of other innovations, all based at the Flathead Lake Biological Station. Station members are hoping to build a space that will be solely dedicated to the sensor technology and welcome all types of researchers, students and entrepreneurs who hope to create innovative sensor technology. Right now the equipment is located in space that isn’t optimal.
“We want to bring engineering students together with ecology students and teach the principles of sensor design and manufacturing with ecology,” Elser says.
Youngbull and his team also could contract out their work to private companies seeking to develop their own sensor technology, creating a new revenue stream for the biological station, which is always seeking funding mechanisms that can keep the facility at the forefront of discovery and innovation.
All of this is exciting, but the fact remains that Montana is under siege, and the team of scientists at the biological station is well aware of the looming threat.
If mussels were detected in a lake like Flathead, it would not necessarily spell disaster, but it would require an immediate and comprehensive response. And that’s where and when the FLBS team would prove itself priceless.
“If we detect mussels early, eradication is possible,” Luikart said. “For example, it’s possible they would be attached only on a boat or on a floating dock that can be removed from the water and decontaminated.”
There are some chemical treatments that can be used to eliminate small mussel colonies. There’s also the onerous task of physically removing mussels and de-watering areas where small colonies have established. Also, small populations can be susceptible to simple extinction due to water and weather conditions. Montana’s state and tribal agencies are responsible for responding to detections and eradicating any populations, but the FLBS is ready to help at a moment’s notice.
Luikart says the station could assist with an infestation using its scuba divers, boats, equipment and detection technologies to pinpoint mussel locations. FLBS also could provide underwater videos to monitor and localize mussel colonists.
Funding remains a significant challenge statewide as Montana tries to mount its best mussel defense and convince residents it is worth taking the threat seriously. Many experts say the cost of prevention is wholly minor compared to the future impacts from mussel infestation, which can range in the tens of millions of dollars annually, in the Flathead area alone.
There is urgency, but there is hope, thanks to the passionate scientists living and working in Yellow Bay.
“With mussels, it is depressing. A lot of people think we have an inevitably gloomy view. They may get here eventually, but what does ‘eventually’ mean? Thirty years? Well, that’s worth fighting for,” Elser says.
As Elser knows, preventing every single miniscule mussel from entering Montana’s waters is essentially impossible. It’s a challenging effort as check stations across the state try to inspect each and every boat. In 2016, the check stations conducted 37,000 inspections and turned up five boats contaminated with zebra or quagga mussels.
Mother Nature has a way of defending itself, but assisting her in every way possible definitely helps, Elser says.
“I’m worried about mussels,” he says. “I’m concerned about them. It occupies a lot of my time and thoughts. But I’m not resigned to the situation.
“I’m convinced that we can hold it off for quite some time, hopefully in our lifetime and our children’s lifetimes. I’m willing to fight for that and spend money for that, and I hope others will be, too.” •
What Are Invasive Mussels?
Zebra mussels originated in the Black and Caspian sea drainages between Europe and Asia. The small shelled creatures were first detected in the U.S. in the mid-1980s after ships from Europe incidentally transferred the species in ballast water into the Hudson River in New York. Quagga mussels came from Ukraine and first invaded the U.S. in 1988, when they were discovered in Lake St. Clair between Ontario and Michigan. By 2014, the mussels had infested rivers and lakes in 29 states, primarily by clinging to recreational boats and traveling through connected river systems.
Reproductive Potential
Mussels can reproduce all year but most often spawn in summer if it’s cold in winter, like in Montana. In a five-year lifetime, a single quagga or zebra mussel will produce about 5 million eggs — 100,000 of which reach adulthood.
How Do They Spread?
Adult mussels attach to recreational boats and equipment, such as anchors and bait buckets, and cling to new subsurfaces, such as docks, rocks and aquatic objects before creating a colony. Boats that are moored or held in a slip are much more likely to harbor zebra and quagga mussels than day boats. Larvae flow downstream and also can be transported in water carried by recreational boats, trailers and other equipment. Zebra mussel larvae can be carried in boat bilge water, live wells, bait buckets and engine cooling water systems even if the boat has been in infested water for only a short time.
Threats
As filter feeders, mussels remove food and nutrients from the water column very efficiently, leaving little or nothing for native aquatic species, including fish. They can devastate native species by stripping the food web of plankton, which has a cascading effect throughout the ecosystem. Lack of food has caused populations of salmon, whitefish and other species to plummet.
Mussels quickly clog pipes, ruin boat motors and damage aquatic recreational equipment. They also cover boat docks and rocky beaches; their razor-sharp shells cover entire shorelines, creating hazardous conditions for swimmers, boaters, beachgoers and other users.
Mussels are having devastating economic effects on municipal and residential drinking water delivery systems, power plant intakes and industrial facilities that use raw surface water across the U.S. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that if mussels invade the Columbia River, they could cost hydroelectric facilities alone up to $250 million to $300 million annually. This does not include costs associated with environmental damages or increased operating expenses to hatcheries and water diversions.
According to research conducted in 2014 by UM, Flathead Lake’s pristine identity had an estimated $6 billion to $8 billion impact on shoreline property values and is worth roughly $1.6 billion in “nature-based tourism” in Flathead and Lake counties. •
Podcast Examines Invasive Mussel Issue
Montana Public Radio reporter Nicky Ouellet has created a podcast titled “SubSurface: Resisting Montana’s Underwater Invaders.” The podcast is available at http://mtpr.org/programs/subsurface-resisting-montanas-underwater-invaders. The podcast won the Chris Ruffatto Excellence in Education Award from the Whitefish Lake Institute. Learn more at http://news.umt.edu/2018/02/022118mtpr.php. •
