Das Projekt "Die Rolle der Zebramuschel Dreissena polymorpha auf die Wasserqualitaet des Lake Erken (Schweden)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Gießen, Fachbereich 08 Biologie, Chemie und Geowissenschaften, Institut für Allgemeine und Spezielle Zoologie durchgeführt. Dreissena polymorpha was entering Lake Erken in the middle of the 1970-ies. The zebra mussel developed very rapidly and soon covered the hardbottoms of the lake. Not until 1992 the mussel was investigated more thouroughly by scubadiver sampling in order to estimate the size, biomass and distribution of the mussel in Lake Erken. This first study is now comingto an end and a special investigation ofthe filtering capacity of the mussel would be worthwile to perform. The filtering capacity of the zebra mussel to further elucidate its role in Lake Erken. The experiments are aiming to describe the role of the zebra mussel in Lake Erken and its effects on the water quality. Is the filtering of the mussel an efficient mechanism to decrease the number of particles in the water? Is there a rapid nutrient release, which stimulates new growth of phytoplankton or periphyton? The experiments should be done in cylinders in situ and in laboratory containers. Thefiltering capacity should be studied in the laboratory at different temperaturesranging from 4 to 25 C. In situ studies could be run in the lake in the temperature interval from 10 to (hopefully) 22 C. This would be from early June to late July in Lake Erken. During the weekly experiments inorganic and organic suspended matter as well as chlorophyll are determined every day. The nutrient conditions are followed by measurements of phosphate and ammonium. Each experiment is runwith three parallells and with controls lacking mussels.