Aquatic Invasive Species and Montana's Loons

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Aquatic Invasive Species and Montana's Loons

Montana's Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) are plants or animals that are non-native to Montana ecosystems, meaning they do not have natural diseases or predators to keep them in check. If introduced, their populations explode damaging the ecosystem they have invaded, impacting Montana's economic, environmental and/or human health.

The Montana Loon Society is interested in predicting how aquatic AIS like zebra and quagga mussels might affect Montana's loon population.

Loons are primarily fish-eaters here in Montana so as mussels reduce the foundational populations of plankton, the food web above these organisms collapse. The fish populations that loons and their chicks depend on will be reduced over a relatively short time.