This video shows an interaction between a male Lampsilis siliquoidea freshwater mussel (i.e., Fatmucket) and an invasive Neogobius melanostomus (i.e., Round Goby) collected from the Muskegon River, Michigan, U.S.A. and brought to the Central Michigan University (CMU) Vivarium in July 2020. This video represents tank 5 of 6 in replicate 5 of 10 in a controlled experiment examining Round Goby behavior in relation to Fatmucket mussels. Interactions between invasive fish like Round Goby and freshwater mussels may be important due to the obligate relationship between freshwater mussels and native host fish during a parasitic mussel life stage known as glochidia. Glochidia attach to the gills and bodies of host fish before metamorphosis into juvenile mussels, and disturbance by invasive fish like Round Goby may lead to failure to attach to proper host fish and subsequent failure to metamorphosize, resulting in reduced reproductive success for individual mussels. In the case of male mussels, interactions with invasive fish may result in dislodgement from the substrate and transport into unfavorable habitats, reducing individual survivorship. Research by Kiara Cushway (CMU; undergraduate student) and Dr. Daelyn Woolnough (Biology and Institute for Great Lakes Research; CMU).

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