By Alice Rossignol and Rachael Gleason
Editor’s note: Great Lakes Smackdown! is an ongoing Great Lakes Echo series.
Don’t forget to turn in your brackets before Friday, October 15th. More information here.
Round 1, Bracket 2
Now the aquatic plant nuisances face off.
In corner number one, the Eurasian Watermilfoil – AKA “The Eurasian Invasion” – started fighting in the U.S. in the 1940s. This 6 to 9-foot long plant has a nasty habit of blocking sunlight from native plants. It forms thick mats on water surfaces. Needless to say, thick, slimy layers of the Eurasian Invasion don’t do much for swimmers or increase lakeshore property values.
And in the other corner… we have a veteran all the way from the Eastern world. The Curry-Leaf Pondweed set foot in the U.S. arena in the 19th century, aggressively pushing native aquatic plant species around and crowding them out. This fast grower emits a plethora of nutrients from its rotting remains in summer months, spurring the production of algal blooms. And we all know how awesome those are.
Which is the worst for the Great Lakes?
Debate, heckle and vote for the winner below.
Fighter Profiles:
"The Eurasian Invasion." Photo: National Park Service.
Eurasian “THE EURASIAN INVASION” Watermilfoil
Legal name: Myriophyllum spicatum
Home Turf: Europe and Asia.
U.S. Fighting Debut: 1940s
Agent: Aquarium trade
Preferred fighting arena: Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie
Weight/Size class: 6- to 9-feet
Fighting Skills:
– This aggressive aquatic herb out-competes native aquatic plants by blocking sunlight and crowding them out.
– Try maneuvering your boat through watermilfoil-infested waters and watch the mess it creates in your motor. And then watch your property value go down.
– The plant has a talent for washing up in foul-smelling piles on beaches.
Offspring: This invader can reproduce from its own plant fragments.
Meet the Curly-Leaf Pondweed. Photo: USGS.
Curly-Leaf “The LEAF-O-NATER” Pondweed
Legal name: Myriophyllum spicatum
Home Turf: Eurasia, Africa, and Australia
U.S. Fighting Debut: Mid-1800’s
Agent: Anonymous. But, possibilities include importation as an aquarium plant, or accidental introduction.
Preferred fighting arena: Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron & Lake Erie.
Weight/Size class: Up to about 6 feet.
Fighting Skills:
– The ability to create mats that cover water surfaces. These mats make boating and swimming true challenges.
– This plant is a super-grower and maliciously mobs other plant species.
– When the plant kicks the bucket in mid-summer, it releases nutrients that can lead to algal blooms.
Life Expectancy: Grows rapidly in early spring and bites the dust about mid-summer.
Tomorrow’s battle: Round Goby VS. Sea Lamprey
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