Glossary of Invasive Species Terms

Ballast Water - Water used by large ships to maintain stability when not carrying cargo

Benthic - Relating to the bottom of a lake or stream

Bilge Water - Water that collects in the bottom of a boat

Bioaccumulate - Accumulation of a material, often contaminants in the tissues of an organism

Byssal Thread - Sticky filaments zebra mussels use to attach to substrates

Eutrophic - Nutrient rich

Filter Feeders - Animals that pump water over their gills to collect small planktonic particles from the water

Oligotrophic - Nutrient poor

Pelvic Fin - Ventral paired fins on a fish

Pectoral Fin - forward-most paired fins on a fish

Phytoplankton - Plant plankton

Pseudofeces - A mucous-covered packet of regurgitated food produced by zebra mussels

Veliger - A zebra mussel larva

Zooplankton - Animal plankton