The invasive spiny water flea is a voracious predator that feeds on the native Daphina pulicaria zooplankton in Madison, Wisconsin's, Lake Mendota. They first invaded the Laurentian Great Lakes in the 1980s and have since reached unparalleled amounts in Lake Mendota compared to other lakes.

(Jake Walsh)

A tiny flea with a massive appetite is causing big trouble in the Great Lakes.

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Limnology say that the invasive spiny water flea could leave lakes choked with algae and cost billions of dollars in cleanup efforts.

“Our study indicates that previous attempts to put a price tag on invasive species impacts haven’t come close to the true cost,” lead author and University of Wisconsin-Madison Ph.D. candidate Jake Walsh told the university’s news center. So far, the spiny water flea alone has racked up $80 million to $163 million in damage.

The water flea, which has a skinny tail and is about the width of a pinky finger, can eat more zooplankton than fish and any other life form combined. They invaded the Laurentian Great Lakes in the 1980s and have since spread into Wisconsin's Lake Mendota, reaching unparalleled amounts compared to other lakes, the researchers report in their study. This makes clear water hard to maintain, as the spiny water flea feasts on Daphnia pulicaria, a native species of zooplankton that helps “clean” the lake by eating massive amounts of algae.

Daphnia pulcaria, a native species of zooplankton found in Madison, Wisconsin's, Lake Mendota, feasts on massive amounts of algae, thus keeping the lake clean. The invasive spiny water flea preys on Daphnia, causing a decline in the lake's water clarity.

(Jake Walsh)

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Agricultural runoff is also to blame, as fertilizer contains phosphorous, which promotes the growth of algae. This combined with a low number of Daphnia has caused the water in Lake Mendota to see a significant drop in water clarity and a sharp rise in algal blooms, reports UW’s news center.

Walsh and his colleagues used statistical models to determine that it would take a 71 percent reduction of phosphorous to get Lake Mendota’s water quality to where it was before the invasive species. Though only a fraction of the Great Lakes’ 180 non-native species have caused enough trouble to be called “invasive,” their collective impact is staggering, according to Walsh.

“There are hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of damages we can account for right now. If you add in invasive species’ impact on ecosystem services and look at secondary invasions, then that number is likely to be trillions,” Walsh told UW.

Such extreme cases of economic damages calls for increased investment in preventing and controlling invasive species.

Invasive species of all variations wreak havoc across the country. In the Midwest, the emerald ash borer left billions of nickel-sized holes in ash trees, killing them and limiting the amount of durable wood available, reports The Washington Post.

Freshwater ecosystems are important to human society, as it is used for things like drinking, pollution dilution, fisheries, and recreation. Policymakers continue to overlook the true value of freshwater ecosystems and don’t include them in the decisions they make on behalf of residents.

Despite the lack of funds and attention, Walsh told UW that he remains hopeful the issue will receive the proper treatment in the future.

According to him, if the price of not fighting the invasions is as high as the study indicates, “maybe we have a much bigger budget than we thought we did.”

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