Diporeia in the Great Lakes

Populations of Diporeia in Lake Michigan have declined nearly 95% from a decade ago. Diporeia are an important part of the Great Lakes food web. Invasive mussels compete with the invertebrate for the same food, and now seem to be pushing the Diporeia closer to extinction. Larger fish such as the whitefish are becoming smaller due to the imbalance in the ecosystem.