#bivalves

Get ready, get set, filter! Oysters are masters of removing algae, detritus, and plankton from the water, and none do it faster than the Hong Kong oyster. Despite reaching only 20 cm (7.8 in) in length, each individual is capable of filtering up to 30 L (7.9 gal) of water every hour!

There is a certain type of person who argues that we should just let invasive species be, either because they're already there and it's our fault in the first place, or because they mistakenly think that "naturalized" (being able to successfully reproduce in a place) means "part of the natural environment now". This is to say nothing of well-meaning folks who hate the idea of any animal being killed, even if it's to save an ecosystem.

Yes, it is true that our species is by and large responsible for the spread of invasive species, whether it is common starlings being intentionally released in New York City's Central Park in the 1890s, or barred owls hopscotching across the former ecological barrier of the Great Plains due to settlers planting trees and stopping tree-killing wildfires. But that doesn't stop the fact that these introduced species are doing damage in their new homes.

The quagga mussel, and its cousin the zebra mussel, both originate in Ukraine (the zebra mussel is also found in Russia.) However, they have found their way to waters around the world and, lacking their natural predators and competitors, have exploded in population to the point where they not only devastate the natural environment but human infrastructure as well.

There aren't any simple answers in eradicating any invasive species; even successful eradication campaigns have involved an incredible amount of time, money, and effort, to say nothing of education. I used to lived near Willapa Bay in extreme southwest Washington, which for a time was completely lined with invasive Atlantic cordgrass. This destroyed native wetland ecosystems and threatened oyster farms, so a concerted effort began among both public and private entities to rid the bay of this problem. It took years of consistently spraying the cordgrass with herbicides to knock it back enough to allow native plants to recuperate.

However, one landowner along the bay refused for years to allow anyone to spray the cordgrass on their property, believing that any herbicide use was bad and wrong and evil. Their protected patch continued to send seeds out into the rest of the bay, which would result in new populations setting up shop. It wasn't until a few years ago that the landowners finally relented, but their refusal demonstrated that even the smallest amount of cordgrass allowed to survive could quickly cause the bay to become overrun again.

Some representative marine bivalves.

It is officially time or March Madness! This year we are pitting the biggest of the big against each other (unless hey were in a previous March Madness. Sorry Argentinosaurus and Deinosuchus!). Remember, this is not about "who would win in a fight". These organisms have a lot more going for them than that.

So, without further ado here are the first two competitors: Campanile giganteum vs. Platyceramus platinus.

Campanile is the largest gastropod ever at a whopping 35 inches long. That is almost 3ft (1 m) long!

Platyceramus on the other hand is the largest bivalve ever. Typically around 3ft 3 in across, the largest one on record was over 9ft across!

Which of these shelled giants should move on the the next tier?

Bivalvey Guys

I love them.........