Congratulations to Conch-L member G. Thomas Watters for a really nice
article on those lethal squatters, the zebra mussels, Dreissena polymorpha.
"The Trouble With Zebras" appears in the March/April 1998 issue of
Timeline, a publication of the Ohio Historical Society. In the article (p.
32-41), Tom explores the reasons for the amazing success of these
creatures, and the damage they are doing.  It is an excellent popular
article for anyone interested in the scary spreading of these destructive
invaders from the Caspian Sea. There's lots about their biology, about the
prognosis for native mussels, and about the future of the native bodies of
water they are overwhelming. Just the sort of writing that needs to be done
for public awareness.  The article is beautifully illustrated with some
excellent color photos by Gary Meszaros, including one of a lake beach so
covered by little dead zebras that the sand doesn't show and another real
glory of a still life of native mussel species.
 
One question, Tom:  you say, "Once settled, they anchor themselves to
anything hard with amazingly sturdy threads (byssus) and a glue so strong
that research labs are attempting to duplicate it for commercial use."
Shortly after that you say "The Zebras' ability to anchor does not mean
that they do not move. They may cast off and slowly cruise over the bottom
on their single feet, moving yards away from where they started. A newly
transformed juvenile may release its byssus and again float away."  How do
they do that? If the glue is so strong, how can a bitty zebra then undo it
in order to migrate? Do they have a secret solvent? Or can they drop the
glued-on byssus and form a new one elsewhere?
 
Again, really nicely done! A pleasure! Thanks to the annual gift of an Ohio
friend, I am a member of the OHS, so I was lucky enough to see the article.
 If you are interested, the March/April issue of Timeline appears to be
available from:
 
Timeline
1982 Velma Avenue
Columbus, OH 43211
 
Cost: $6 plus $1.00 p & h. (You may find the rest of the Timeline
interesting too. . .baseball, Eliot Ness, archaeological work on earthworks
of the Mound Builders, and a train wreck staged to attract visitors to an
amusement park opening are also included.)