Blue mussel
| Blue mussel | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Mytilida |
| Family: | Mytilidae |
| Genus: | Mytilus |
| Species: | M. edulis
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| Binomial name | |
| Mytilus edulis | |
The blue mussel (Mytilus edulis), also known as the common mussel,
Systematics and distribution
The Mytilus edulis complex
Systematically blue mussel consists of a group of (at least) three closely related taxa of mussels, known as the Mytilus edulis complex. Collectively they occupy both coasts of the North Atlantic (including the
- Mytilus edulis sensu stricto: Native to the North Atlantic.
- Mytilus galloprovincialis, the Mediterranean mussel: Native in the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and Western Europe. Introduced in the temperate North Pacific, South Africaand elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere.
- Mytilus planulatus, the New Zealand blue mussel, a distinct lineage native to the Southern Hemisphere along the southern coast of Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand
- Mytilus platensis (junior synonym M. chilensis), the Chilean mussel: Temperate and sub-Antarctic waters of South America and the Kerguelen Islands.[3]
- North Atlantic, Baltic Sea.
Mytilus edulis, strict sense
The Atlantic blue mussel is native on the North American Atlantic coast, but is found intermixed with M. trossulus north of Maine. In Atlantic Canada, M. trossulus was found to have smaller shell growth values than M. edulis and contain less meat than M. edulis.[4] Keeping this in mind, M. edulis, under raft culture conditions, is estimated to have an economic value of 1.7 times M. trossulus.[4] In Europe it is found from French Atlantic coast northwards to Novaya Zemlya and Iceland, but not in the Baltic Sea. In France and in the British Isles, it makes hybrid zones with M. galloprovincialis, and also is sometimes intermixed with M. trossulus.
The genetically distinct lineage of M. edulis present in the Southern Hemisphere has been attributed to subspecies
Habitat
(b) The inside of the left shell
(c) Without shells, right lateral overview generated from a micro-CT scan
(b) Oblique dorsal view on a sedated specimen
Blue mussels are boreo-temperate invertebrates that live in
Description
The shape of the shell is triangular and elongated with rounded edges. The shell is smooth with a sculpturing of fine concentric growth lines but no radiating ribs. The shells of this species are purple, blue or sometimes brown in color, occasionally with radial stripes. The outer surface of the shell is covered by the periostracum which as eroded, exposes the colored prismatic calcitic layer. Blue Mussels are semi-sessile, having the ability to detach and reattach to a surface allowing the mollusk to reposition itself relative to the water position.
Right and left valve of the same specimen:
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Right valve -
Left valve
var. flavida
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Right valve -
Left valve
Reproduction
Mussels have separate sexes. Once the sperm and eggs are fully developed they are released into the water column for fertilization. Although there are about 10,000 sperm per egg,[6] large proportions of eggs deposited by blue mussels are never fertilized. As few as 1% of larvae that do mature ever reach adulthood. The majority are eaten by predators before completing metamorphosis.
The reproductive strategy seen in blue mussels is characteristic of planktotrophs. By minimizing nutrients in egg production to the bare minimum they are able to maximize the number of gametes produced. If the adult mussels are stressed during the beginning of gametogenesis, the process is terminated.[7] When stressed while fresh gametes are present, adult mussels reabsorb gametes. Larvae viability is also affected by the condition of parents: high water temperatures, pollutants and scarcity of food, during gamete production.[7] The reduction in viability is probably due to the lack of lipid reserves distributed to the eggs.
Monitor of environmental DNA damage
Blue mussels are used for monitoring marine pollution based on their tendency to accumulate numerous pollutants from their natural environment.[8] Upon in vivo exposure of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) to either of two metals of environmental concern, cadmium or chromium, it was found that both of these metals induce DNA strand breakage, and also impair different DNA repair capacities in the tissues of these mussels.[8]
Larval development
Larval development can last from 15 to 35 days depending environmental conditions including salinity and temperature, as well as location. Larvae originating from
The first stage of development is the ciliated embryo, which in 24-hours for fertilization form the trochophore. At this point although mobile, it is still reliant on the yolk for nutrients. Characterized by a functional mouth and alimentary canal the veliger stage also has cilia which are used for filtering food as well as propulsion. A thin translucent shell is secreted by the shell gland forming the notable straight hinge of the prodissoconch I shell. The veliger continues to mature forming the prodissoconch II shell. In the end stage of veliger development photosensitive eye spots and elongated foot with a byssal gland are formed.[10]
Once the pediveliger is fully developed, its foot extends and makes contact with substrate. The initial contact with the substrate is loose. If the substrate is suitable, the larva will metamorphoses into the juvenile form,
Aggregation and mussel bed formation
Blue mussels often form aggregations, where they attach to each other using
Several explanations for aggregate formation have been offered, such as increase of reproductive success in low density populations, It is, however, still unclear what the main purpose is and aggregation might have different purposes under different circumstances.
Mussel beds are persistent, dense mussel populations. Beds generally form from fields that persist long enough to establish a dense population.[12] In high density aggregations, growth of blue mussels at the centre of the aggregation is reduced, likely due to a reduction in food availability. When possible, mussels will thus migrate to lower densities on larger scales (>7.5 cm), but aggregate on small scales (<2.0 cm).[11] In areas where blue mussels are threatened, such as the Wadden Sea, it is of great importance to enhance the survival of mussel fields, of which mussel aggregates are the primary component.
Predators
Predation of blue mussels is greatest during the three weeks it spends as a planktonic larva. During this stage it is susceptible to
Uses and ecosystem services
.jpg)
Blue mussels are
Blue mussels are starting to decline in areas such as the Gulf of Maine. Historical references have shown a decrease of about 40 percent in the last fifty years.[19] This can cause a future problem because mussels are foundation species providing homes and protecting other small animals in the intertidal zone like small fish as well as filtering the water. Mussels filter out bacteria, metals, and toxins, that would increase significantly without mussels around.[20] Ocean acidification due to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide is projected to reduce the growth and survival of blue mussels; in turn, this could drastically reduce their positive impact on coastal water quality.[21]
Gallery
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Live blue mussels on a rocky substrate -
Numerous empty blue mussel shells on a beach in Iceland -
Live blue mussels -
Mussels and cheese gratin -
Blue mussel sculpture at Conwy, North Wales near Conwy Castle
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References
- ISBN 978-0-00-723683-1.
- PMID 28035234.
- ^ S2CID 1471569.
- ^ doi:10.1139/f95-780.
- ^ PMID 32317671.
- doi:10.1139/f79-133.
- ^ ISBN 9780521210584.
- ^ .
- S2CID 84634421.
- ^ PMID 29304577.
- ^ S2CID 2340587.
- ^ a b Nehls, Georg; Witte, Sophia; Büttger, Heike; Dankers, Norbert; Jansen, Jeroen; Millat, Gerald; Herlyn, Mark; Markert, Alexandra; Kristensen, Per Sand; Ruth, Maarten; Buschbaum, Christian; Wehrmann, Achim (2009). "Beds of blue mussels and Pacific oysters" (PDF). In Marencic, Harald; de Vlas, Jaap (eds.). Quality Status Report 2009. Wilhelmshaven: Common Wadden Sea Secretariat.[permanent dead link]
- ^ .
- S2CID 85413789.
- S2CID 5987050.
- JSTOR 1541710.
- ISSN 1600-0706.
- ^ Robert Butler (1999) The Great Blue Heron (in Google Books)
- ^ Wight, Patty (29 August 2016). "Blue Mussels in Decline in Gulf of Maine". www.mainepublic.org.
- ^ Vasich, Tom (9 August 2016). "Why are New England's wild blue mussels disappearing?". UCI News.
- .
External links
- The blue mussel in Maine Maine Department of Marine Resources
- Newell, R.I.E. (1989). Species profiles: life histories and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates (North and Mid-Atlantic) - blue mussel. U.S. Fish. Wildl. Serv. Biol. Rep. 82(11. 102 ). U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, TR El-82-4. 25 pp.
- The common mussel Mytilus edulis MarLIN - The Marine Life Information Network
- Robert Nordsieck: The Blue or Common Mussel (Mytilus edulis) The Living World of Molluscs www.molluscs.at
- Photos of Blue mussel on Sealife Collection
| Authority control databases: National |
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