Clearance rate responses of Mediterranean mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis, to variations in the flow, water temperature, food quality and quantity

Abstract

The impact of Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis Lamarck) on particle removal from the water column under different flow velocities was measured in the laboratory within a recirculating flume. At 20 °C, the filtration rates increased with current velocity up to 20−25 cm·s⁻¹. Filtration rates remained the same at 26 °C. At high phytoplankton concentration (Cryptophyceae: 8 500−11 000 Cryptomonas sp. cells·mL⁻¹), filtration rates were low (0.2−0.4 L·h⁻¹ per standard individual of 1 g dry weight), whereas higher filtration rates (0.5−2.5 L·h⁻¹ per standard individual) were observed with lower concentrations of the algae Prorocentrum minimum (Dinophyceae : 1 300−5 800 cells·mL⁻¹). The filtration rates of M. galloprovincialis were affected by high phytoplankton loads, and exhibited a maximum related to current velocity. Our results suggest that mussels, feeding over a wide range of seston concentrations and flow velocities, show an adaptive behaviour in an area where environmental conditions are known to vary drastically.