“Especially with hydrilla, you can see ecosystem changes overnight. You might see an ordinary pond, but at the end of the growing season it will be completely filled with hydrilla,” Nicole White said. Little Bear Environmental ConsultingWe often work with city and state departments to combat invasive species. “Nothing else can survive there. “I couldn’t breathe.”
White worked with other organizations, including the Department of Environmental Protection, to: Eradication of hydrilla from the Croton River from 2018 to 2022. Hyrilla was present at 40% of the 449 sites initially sampled.
Ultimately, they successfully eradicated hydrilla from three miles downriver using very low concentrations of herbicides over five seasons, but the hydrilla’s impact on the river ecosystem was so severe that White had to replant many native plants at the end of the project. I did it. Aquatic plants of the Croton River.
According to Taylor, hydrilla still remain in New Croton Reservoir. Even the Department of Environmental Protection is using herbicides to change that.
The presence of hydrilla in reservoirs can affect not only the marine ecosystem, but also water quality and the survival of local birds. Hydrilla is also known to harbor cyanobacteria that can turn into toxins.Aetokthonos hydrillicola These types of harmful birds can kill waterfowl and bald eagles and have the potential to cause harm to human health.
“This is a neurotoxin, so italktonos Many wild animals found in Hydrilla have died from brain lesions,” White said. “So the fish died, reptiles like turtles died, the waterfowl that eat the hydrilla died, and the predators of those waterfowl died.”
Climate change is causing warmer weather in the fall and extreme rainfall events that move sediment in the water column. This creates better conditions for hydrilla and cyanobacteria to thrive and, in turn, for the spread of these toxins. Their presence has not been confirmed in New York State, but the Department of Environmental Protection is collecting samples.
A looming threat, Daphnia
Last year, fishhook water fleas were found in the reservoir. The new findings mean that Department of Environmental Protection officials say there has not yet been a negative impact on marine ecosystems and the broader implications for the food chain are unknown. Daphnia can affect water quality by consuming large amounts of zooplankton, which creates better conditions for harmful algae blooms to grow. Taylor believes Daphnia eggs may have been transferred via fishing tackle because they can survive being dried for long periods of time.
Like zebra mussels, it is virtually impossible to completely remove fishhook daphnia from a body of water once they become established. For many scientists, the most important thing is often preventing spread into new waterways. About 40% of New York’s freshwater is connected to canals, making movement of species much easier.
