Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T13:31:08.088Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Seasonal variation in the strength of byssal attachment of the common mussel Mytilus edulis L.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2009

Hilary Ann Price
Hilary Ann Price
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University College, Cardiff
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

A seasonal cycle in byssal attachment strength of Mytilus edulis is described in a population of mussels on the South Wales coast. Attachment strength reaches a maximum in September with a minimum in May.

INTRODUCTION

Many seasonal cycles of a physiological nature have been described in the common mussel Mytilus edulis L. (reviewed by Gabbott, 1976; also Pieters et al. 1978; Zurburg et al. 1978), some of which, for example the annual accumulation and subsequent utilization of energy substrates, appear to be linked to gametogenesis. Following spawning in the spring the gonads of Mytilus enter a resting phase; metabolic demands are low. Glycogen and protein are accumulated in the tissues at this time as phytoplankton is abundant. Gonadal development commences in autumn when phytoplankton density has declined and energy is supplied by the utilization of stored reserves. Pieters et al. (1978) have suggested that the resulting decline in reserves is accentuated by the need for greater byssus production at this time to secure the mussels against the rigours of autumn and winter storms. No accounts exist of field studies which might support this hypothesis.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 60 , Issue 4 , November 1980 , pp. 1035 - 1037
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1980

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Allen, J. A., Cook, M., Jackson, D. J., Preston, S. & Worth, E. M., 1976. Observations on the rate of production and mechanical properties of the byssus threads of Mytilus edulis L. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 42, 279–289.Google Scholar
Bayne, B. L. & Widdows, J., 1978. The physiological ecology of two populations of Mytilus edulis L. Oecologia, 37, 137–162.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gabbott, P. A., 1976. Energy metabolism. In Marine Mussels: their Ecology and Physiology (ed. Bayne, B. L.), pp. 293–356. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Glaus, K. J., 1968. Factors influencing the production of byssus threads in Mytilus edulis. Biological Bulletin. Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass., 135, 420.Google Scholar
Harger, J. R. E., 1970. The effect of wave impact on some aspects of the biology of sea mussels. Veliger, 12, 401–414.Google Scholar
Pieters, H., Kluytmans, J. H., Zurburg, W. & Zandee, D. I., 1978. The influence of seasonal changes on energy metabolism in Mytilus edulis (L.). I. Growth rate and biochemical composition in relation to environmental parameters and spawning. In Cyclic Phenomena in Marine Plants and Animals. Proceedings of the 13th European Marine Biology Symposium, Isle of Man, 1978 (ed. Naylor, E. and Hartnoll, R. G.), pp. 285–292. Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
van Winkle, W. Jr, 1970. Effect of environmental factors on byssal thread formation. Marine Biology, 7, 143–148.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zurburg, W., Kluytmans, J. H., Pieters, H. & Zandee, D. I., 1978. The influence of seasonal changes on energy metabolism in Mytilus edulis (L.). II. Organ specificity. In Cyclic Phenomena in Marine Plants and Animals. Proceedings of the 13th European Marine Biology Symposium, Isle of Man, 1978 (ed. Naylor, E. and Hartnoll, R. G.), pp. 293–300. Pergamon Press.Google Scholar