Some of the most destructive invasive species come in small packages. Few come smaller than the spiny water flea, a tiny crustacean with a long, spiked tail.

Spinies and the more famous zebra mussels change lake ecosystems far out of proportion to their size. At the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Gretchen Hansen is untangling the web of biological and chemical impacts that these and other aquatic invasive species weave.

A lot of our research focuses on documenting impacts while also identifying places that are more sensitive or more resilient, says Hansen, an assistant professor in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology. We also study climate change and how lakes and fish respond.

Spinies are part of the zooplanktontiny animals that drift around with tiny plants called phytoplankton. So are native water fleas, which are eaten by many young fish and, unfortunately, spinies. Spinies afflict lakes large and small, including Lake Mendota in Madison, Wisconsin, and Minnesotas Lake Mille Lacs.

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On the water front: invasive lake species - UMN News