This study provides new information on the response of the immune system of Mytilus edulis exposed to untreated and treated sewage, linking immune response to ecologically relevant endpoints, such as disease resistance. Our goal was to assess the potential effects of sewage on the immune system (phagocytic activity and production of cytotoxic metabolites, disease resistance) and gills (light mi...

Pristane (2,6,10,14-tetramethylpentadecane) concentrations in mussels (Mytilus trossulus) increase abruptly during spring in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska. This increase is mainly due to ingestion by mussels of pristane-laden feces produced by near-shore zooplanktivores, especially juvenile pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha). Examination of the trophic and temporal distribution of prista...

—Pink heelsplitter mussels Potamilus alatus were held at two bottom locations and suspended in pocket nets in a pond at the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Center, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, for 1 year to evaluate survival in captivity. Survival after 1 year differed significantly; the poorest survival (30.0%) was at the bottom of the deep end (2.5 m), and there was no...

Although zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) initially colonized shallow habitats within the North American Great Lakes, quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis) are becoming dominant in both shallow- and deep-water habitats. Shell morphology differs among zebra, shallow quagga and deep quagga mussels but functional consequences of such differences are unknown. We examined effects of shell morpholo...

Management of the nitrogen cycle has been identified as one of fourteen grand challenges for engineering and is an especially important issue for agricultural watersheds of the Upper Midwest. In large river systems, it has become increasingly important to understand the interactions between abiotic and biotic processes that influence nitrogen cycling. Native freshwater mussels are one of the mo...

The uptake and bioaccumulation of 15 road dust metals by the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) were investigated in laboratory exposure studies with emphasis on the traffic-related platinum-group elements (PGEs) palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), and rhodium (Rh). The biological availability of the metals may depend on water characteristics, so the mussels were maintained in two types of water: n...

Mussels filter large volumes of water and can concentrate pathogenic organisms, which may act as potential vehicles of transmission to the consumer. A survey study was carried out to investigate the presence of Cryptosporidium protozoan parasites in green mussels (Perna viridis), the smussles pecies most destined for consumption in Thailand. In total, 56 samples were examined from Bangkok (n = ...

A biometric, nutritional and sensory analysis of raw and cooked mussels comparing Mytilus sp. from the north-west coast of Portugal and Spain (Minho and Galicia, respectively) and the new offshore production site of Armona (Algarve, south Portugal) was carried out. In addition, multiple factorial analysis was performed to explore potential relationships between sensory attributes and nutritiona...

A recently developed BioEnergetic Growth (BEG) model for blue mussels (Mytilus edulis), valid for juvenile mussels, has been further developed to an ‘extended model’ and an alternative ‘ad hoc BEG model’ valid for post-metamorphic mussels, where the latter accounts for changing ambient chl a concentration. It was used to predict the growth of M. edulis on optimally thinned farm-ropes in Great B...

Brest harbor (Bay of Brest, Brittany, France) has a severe past of anthropogenic chemical contamination, but inputs tended to decrease, indicating a reassessment of its ecotoxicological status should be carried out. Here, native and caged mussels (Mytilus spp.) were used in combination to evaluate biological effects of chronic chemical contamination in Brest harbor. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocar...