Predicting the ecosystem effects of invasive species and the best control strategies requires understanding population dynamics and population regulation. Invasive bivalves zebra and quagga mussels (Dreissena spp.) are considered the most aggressive invaders in freshwaters and have become major drivers of ecosystem processes in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Combining all lake-wide studies of Dreissena spp. conducted in the Great Lakes, we found that invasion dynamics are largely governed by lake morphometry. Where both species are present, quagga mussels generally become dominant in 8–13 years. Thereafter, zebra mussels remain common in shallow lakes and embayments and lake-wide Dreissena density may remain similar, while in deep lakes quagga led to a near-complete displacement of zebra mussels and an ensuing dramatic increase in overall dreissenid density. In deep lakes, overall Dreissena biomass peaked later and achieved ~ threefold higher levels than in shallow lakes. Comparison with 21 waterbodies in North America and Europe colonized by both dreissenids confirmed that patterns of invasion dynamics found in the Great Lakes are very consistent with other waterbodies, and thus can be generalized to other lakes. Our biophysical model predicted that the long-term reduction in primary producers by mussel grazing may be fourfold less in deep compared to shallow lakes due to thermal stratification and a smaller proportion of the epilimnion in contact with the bottom. While this impact remains greatest in shallow areas, we show that when lakes are vertically well-mixed, dreissenid grazing impact may be greatest offshore, revealing a potentially strong offshore carbon and phosphorus sink.

预测入侵物种的生态系统影响和最佳控制策略需要了解种群动态和种群调控。侵入性的双壳类斑马和斑贝贻贝（Dreissena spp。）被认为是淡水中侵略性最强的入侵者，已成为Laurentian大湖地区生态系统进程的主要驱动力。结合了对德雷塞纳（Dreissena spp）的所有全湖研究。在大湖中进行的研究发现，入侵动力学主要受湖泊形态的控制。如果同时存在两种物种，则杂种贻贝通常会在8-13年内占优势。此后，斑马贻贝在浅湖，河堤和整个德雷塞纳湖中仍然很常见。密度可能保持相似，而在深湖中，夸加导致斑马贻贝几乎完全移位，随之而来的总纤皮密度急剧增加。在深湖中，整个德雷塞纳生物量的峰值较晚，达到的水平比浅湖高约三倍。与北美和欧洲的两个水生藻类定殖的水体进行比较，证实在大湖中发现的入侵动态模式与其他水体非常一致，因此可以推广到其他湖泊。我们的生物物理模型预测，由于热分层和与底部接触的上斜纹岩的比例较小，与深湖相比，深水贻贝放牧对初级生产者的长期减少可能要少四倍。尽管这种影响在浅水区仍然最大，但我们表明，当湖泊垂直混合良好时，梭梭的放牧影响可能是最大的近海地区，这表明潜在的强大的近海碳和磷汇。