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Posted: Monday, March 9, 2020Biology-GLC Seminar: 'A Recent Invader Finds Its Ecological Niche in the Great Lakes: ?Hemimysis anomala, the Bloody Red Shrimp' - March 13
Please join the Biology Department and the Great Lakes Center for the seminar "A Recent Invader Finds Its Ecological Niche in the Great Lakes: ?Hemimysis anomala, the Bloody Red Shrimp," presented by Alicia Pérez-Fuentetaja, professor of biology at Buffalo State College, on Friday, March 13, from 2:00 to 2:50 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center 214. All students, staff, and faculty are welcome.
Abstract
Hemimysis anomala is one of the recent invaders to the Great Lakes from the Ponto-Caspian region of Europe. Originally introduced through ballast water from transoceanic ships, it has spread to shallow areas in all five Great Lakes, Lake Superior being the last to be invaded in 2017. An omnivorous organism that exhibits strong photophobia and a tendency to form swarms, the bloody red shrimp is occupying the nearshore niches of the lakes they invade, areas that are not used by the native mysid the opossum shrimp (Mysis diluviana). To understand the potential impacts of this new addition to the Great Lakes, we studied H. anomala’s diet and habits, as well as its capacity to dramatically alter food webs.