This review examines the ecological, economical, and public health significance of chironomids and provides examples of chironomid invasions via international shipping and the subsequent local and regional impacts. Dispersal and adaptation mechanisms as facilitators of chironomid invasions are presented, and control methods are discussed. Impacts ranged from increased nuisance occurrences to agricultural disruption. Anthropogenic activities including pollution-related decimation of aquatic benthic communities might allow introduction of invasive chironomids. Chironomids can inhabit many environments, including eutrophic lakes and wastewater treatment areas, and may accumulate contaminants in high concentrations. Health concerns include the association of chironomid egg masses with Vibrio cholerae, roles of chironomids as vectors for avian botulism, and effects of chironomid chemicals as human allergens. Therefore, the presence of new chironomid species in an environment may present threats to public health and local ecosystems.

Eutrophication (and associated cyanobacterial blooms) and biological invasions are increasingly common problems in aquatic ecosystems, yet their effects on zooplankton community dynamics are not well understood. We examined zooplankton community dynamics from 2005 to 2011 in a tidally-influenced shallow temperate lake (Vancouver Lake, Washington, USA), with particular emphasis on the effects of eutrophication and biological invasions. Cluster analysis, indicator species analysis, and non-metric multidimensional scaling analyses were used to explore interactions between the zooplankton community and multiple environmental stressors. Our results suggest that interannual differences in seasonal zooplankton community succession may be influenced directly by turbidity, cyanobacterial blooms, predatory zooplankton, and invasive crustacean zooplankton, and indirectly by PO 4-P availability and temperature. Based on these results, we suggest that two separate management goals-alleviating eutrophication and managing the spread of invasive species-may be in conflict. We recommend future studies on the competition between native and non-native species to better understand the effects of cyanobacterial blooms on the success of non-native species, and the potential long-term consequences of non-native species invasions on zooplankton community dynamics.