Mussel Digestive System
The zebra mussel is a filter feeder, meaning it feeds on algae, bacteria and other small organic things that are in water. They have organs that help them be able to breath and eat under water. Zebra mussels filter out organisms like algae, plankton, and phytoplankton from fresh water sources in order to obtain energy.
Steps to how Mussel's Digest Food:
1. Water is inhaled threw the siphon
2. Particles in water are filtered out and separated from the water
3. Then the organisms cilia separate the particles into smaller pieces and splits them into two different categories, edible and not edible
4. Then once the cilia are done, the mussel releases the non-edible pieces and then, in the stomach, the edible pieces get broken down mechanically and chemically
5. After enzymes that digest starch are done with the chemical digestion, the stomach takes the nutrients from the broken down material
6. Waste particles and left over particles are then moved towards the rectum where they are later released
2. Particles in water are filtered out and separated from the water
3. Then the organisms cilia separate the particles into smaller pieces and splits them into two different categories, edible and not edible
4. Then once the cilia are done, the mussel releases the non-edible pieces and then, in the stomach, the edible pieces get broken down mechanically and chemically
5. After enzymes that digest starch are done with the chemical digestion, the stomach takes the nutrients from the broken down material
6. Waste particles and left over particles are then moved towards the rectum where they are later released
The Zebra Mussels Ideal Menu:
Because the zebra mussel is filter feeder, it is limited in it's choices of what it can eat. All of what the zebra mussel eats is on the very bottom of the marine food-chain. Zebra mussels being a invasive specie has caused problems in the United States sense it filters out and digests most of the food sources or smaller fish and organisms, inevitably affecting the rest of the food-chain.