Seasonal variations in the levels of antioxidant enzymes in mytilus edulis.

Bivalves such as molluscs are widely distributed tolerant of a wide range of environmental conditions (Livingstone, 1989). Mussels are filter feeders capable of filtering large volumes of water up to several litres per hour (Bayne, 1976). In this way they concentrate many chemicals and other deleterious compounds in their tissues. The gill is the initial site of uptake of such chemicals followed by the digestive gland where these compounds are accumulated.