We quantified the vertical and horizontal variation of chlorophyll a (Chl-a) to test how benthic filter feeders (dreissenid mussels), rooted macrophytes, and hydrodynamics influence phytoplankton distributions in a large lake (Lake Simcoe, Canada). Water column Chl-a did not differ significantly among sites of different depth, distance offshore, or rooted macrophyte biomass, but among the nears...

We examined how substrate and complex hydraulic variables limit the distribution of freshwater mussels. We sampled mussels and measured substrate and hydraulic variables (at low and high flows) at 6 sites in the Little River, Oklahoma. To test which variables were most limiting to mussel species richness and abundance, we evaluated univariate and multiple 95-, 90-, and 85-quantile regression mo...

The substance secreted by mussels, also known as nature's glue, is a type of liquid protein that hardens rapidly into a solid water-resistant adhesive material. While in seawater or saline conditions, mussels can adhere to all types of surfaces, sustaining its bonds via mussel adhesive proteins (MAPs), a group of proteins containing 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) and catecholic amino acid. S...

This is the first study to compare defenses to predation in closely related species of Mytilus and draws attention to the role of predation in determining their distribution, abundance and co-existence. We experimentally determined whether 2 blue mussel species, Mytilus edulis and M. trossulus, that co-exist within a hybrid zone in Newfoundland, Canada, differ in their predator-induced response...

Since 2014, France's blue mussel industry has been facing heavy mortality outbreaks (90-100%) affecting both juveniles and adults. This report presents evidence of heavy genomic abnormalities associated with mortality outbreaks in blue mussels, Mytilus edulis-galloprovincialis, from the Atlantic coast of France. In this study, ploidy characteristics of hemic cells were investigated using Flow C...

Invasive non-native species frequently occur in very high densities. When such invaders present an economic or ecological nuisance, this biomass is typically removed and landfill is the most common destination, which is undesirable from both an economic and ecological perspective. The zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, has invaded large parts of Europe and North America, and is routinely remov...

The 100 Meridian Initiative was developed to help prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species (ANS) through boater education and research on boater movement patterns and behaviors. Surveys employing these elements were conducted at Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LMNRA) in 2002-2003 before the discovery of the quagga mussel (Dreissena rostiformis bugensis Andrusov 1897) and in 2007-2008 ...

The Point Conception, California, USA region (hereafter PC) is one of the most important biogeographic and oceanographic discontinuities on the US west coast. Here we address how mesoscale oceanographic variability in the region around PC affects the growth of the competitively dominant species in the rocky intertidal assemblage: the mussel Mytilus californianus. Strong upwelling and high wave ...

The bivalve aquaculture industry has become an important socio-economic component of many coastal communities throughout the world and marine molluscs presently account for 60% of global marine aquaculture production[1]. Largely cultivated on the east of Canada (over 20,000 tons per year), the mussel industry represents an annual market of around $30 million[2]. Wild seed collection remains a c...