ABSTRACT
Dreissenid mussels are benthic invertebrates that remain relatively sedentary on the bottom of lakes and rivers except for their early-life history that involves broadcast spawning and a planktotrophic larval stage. This chapter focuses on the interaction of dreissenids with their uid environment, which is responsible for essential biological processes including the delivery of food and larvae to the benthos as well as the removal of gametes and wastes. The hydrodynamics of lakes and rivers that affect the physical ecology of dreissenids are discussed with specic reference to these transport processes. The physical ecology of important life history functions, which include external fertilization of gametes, dispersal of larvae, settlement of larvae and recruitment of juvenile mussels, suspension feeding, and dislodgement of
adult benthic stages, is reviewed. Results indicate that these biological processes are largely driven by hydrodynamics, yet it is also evident that many of the links between hydrodynamics and dreissenid mussels remain unknown and thus provide a challenge for future research.
