Arctic waters are contaminated with metals and radionuclides from diverse sources. Here we present experimental results evaluating the bioaccumulation of dissolved metals by the mussel Mytilus edulis, widely used as a food source and also as a bioindicator of coastal contamination. We used radioisotopes to determine the uptake and excretion of Ag, Am, Cd, Co and Zn by M. edulis collected from b...

The sharp-angled (presence of an acute ridge) or rounded (absence of an acute ridge) transition of the ventral and dorsal shell surfaces is the “key feature” for the distinction of Dreissena polymorpha and Dreissena rostriformis. However, up to now it has not been possible to put this into a quantifiable framework. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a method, which (i) facilitates ...

Benthic suspension feeding mussels are an important functional guild in coastal and estuarine ecosystems. To date we lack information on how various environmental gradients and biotic interactions separately and interactively shape the distribution patterns of mussels in non-tidal environments. Opposing to tidal environments, mussels inhabit solely subtidal zone in non-tidal waterbodies and, th...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the prevalence of trematode Aspidogastrea in the freshwater mussels in the Yangtze River basin within Anhui province, China. METHODS We initially harvested the freshwater mussels living in the Yangtze River running through Anhui area, and labeled them with corresponding number. Then the samples were dissected for isolating the flukes, which were identified by conventi...

Integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) reduces the environmental impacts of commercial aquaculture systems by combining the cultivation of fed species with extractive species. Shellfish play a critical role in IMTA systems by filter-feeding particulate-bound organic nutrients. As bioaccumulating organisms, shellfish may also increase disease risk on farms by serving as reservoirs for import...

Mussels are conspicuous and often abundant members of rocky shores and may constitute an important site for the nitrogen cycle due to their feeding and excretion activities. We used shotgun metagenomics of the microbial community associated with the surface of mussels (Mytilus californianus) on Tatoosh Island in Washington state to test whether there is a nitrogen-based microbial assemblage ass...

We measured the transfer of radiocesium in a marine food chain from phytoplankton to bivalves and finally to a predatory gastropod (Babylonia formosae habei). The assimilation efficiency (AE) of radiocesium in both green mussels (Perna viridis) and the gastropods feeding on different diets was measured by a pulse-chase feeding radiotracer technique. The AEs of 137Cs in the green mussels ranged ...

Pristane concentrations in mussels were monitored at 30+ stations during spring and summer to compare nearshore feeding conditions for juvenile pink salmon and herring. The dominant-biomass zooplankter of PWS (Neocalanus plumchrus) contains about 1 % pristane, a refractory hydrocarbon. Fecal material produced consequent to predation on Neocalanus contains un-absorbed pristane that may be accumu...

The objective of the present study was to determine acute toxicity of copper, ammonia, or chlorine to larval (glochidia) and juvenile mussels using the recently published American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard guide for conducting laboratory toxicity tests with freshwater mussels. Toxicity tests were conducted with glochidia (24to 48-h exposures) and juveniles (96-h exposure...

1. Temporal variation in the spatial aggregation of the freshwater bivalve Elliptio complanata was studied at a sandy site in an oligotrophic lake over three years. 2. Epibenthic populations varied in aggregation over the season bringing animals closer together during spawning. The complex link between movements of mussels and aggregation dynamics suggested a functional reproductive role for ho...