Impact of ocean acidification and warming on the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis)

In order to assess the effects of ocean acidification and warming on the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis), specimens were reared in aquarium tanks and exposed to elevated conditions of temperature (+3°C) and acidity (-0.3 pH units) for a period of 10 months. The whole system comprised a factorial experimental design with 4 treatments (3 aquaria per treatment): control, lowered pH, elevated temperature, and lowered pH/elevated temperature. Mortality was estimated on a weekly basis and every 2 months, various biometrical parameters and physiological processes were measured: somatic and shell growth, metabolic rates and body fluid acid-base parameters. Mussels were highly sensitive to warming, with 100% mortality observed under elevated temperature at the end of our experiment in October. Mortality rates increased drastically in summer, when water temperature exceeded 25°C. In contrast, our results suggest that survival of this species will not be affected by a pH decrease of 0.3 in the Mediterranean Sea. Somatic and shell growth did not appear very sensitive to ocean acidification and warming during most of the experiment, but were reduced, after summer, in the lowered pH treatment. This was consistent with measured shell net dissolution and observed loss of periostracum, as well as uncompensated extracellular acidosis in the lowered pH treatment indicating a progressive insufficiency in acid-base regulation capacity. However, based on the present dataset, we cannot elucidate if these decreases in growth and regulation capacities after summer are a consequence of lower pH levels during that period or a consequence of a combined effect of acidification and warming. To summarize, while ocean acidification will potentially contribute to lower growth rates, especially in summer when mussels are exposed to sub-optimal conditions, ocean warming will likely pose more serious threats to Mediterranean mussels in this region in the coming decades.

Effects of Ocean Acidification and Warming on Sperm Activity and Early Life Stages of the Mediterranean Mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis)

Larval stages are among those most vulnerable to ocean acidification (OA). Projected atmospheric CO2 levels for the end of this century may lead to negative impacts on communities dominated by calcifying taxa with planktonic life stages. We exposed Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) sperm and early life stages to pHT levels of 8.0 (current pH) and 7.6 (2100 level) by manipulating pCO2 level (380 and 1000 ppm). Sperm activity was examined at ambient temperatures (16-17 °C) using individual males as replicates. We also assessed the effects of temperature (ambient and = 20 °C) and pH on larval size, survival, respiration and calcification of late trochophore/early D-veliger stages using a cross-factorial design. Increased pCO2 had a negative effect on the percentage of motile sperm (mean response ratio R= 71%) and sperm swimming speed (R= 74%), possibly indicating reduced fertilization capacity of sperm in low concentrations. Increased temperature had a more prominent effect on larval stages than pCO2, reducing performance (RSize = 90% and RSurvival = 70%) and increasing energy demand (RRespiration = 429%). We observed no significant interactions between pCO2 and temperature. Our results suggest that increasing temperature might have a larger impact on very early larval stages of M. galloprovincialis than OA at levels predicted for the end of the century.

Seawater acidification by CO2 in a coastal lagoon environment: Effects on life history traits of juvenile mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis

The carbonate chemistry of seawater from the Ria Formosa lagoon was experimentally manipulated, by diffusing pure CO2, to attain two reduced pH levels, by -0.3 and -0.6 pH units, relative to unmanipulated seawater. After 84 days of exposure, no differences were detected in terms of growth (somatic or shell) or mortality of juvenile mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis. The naturally elevated total alkalinity of the seawater (= 3550 µmol/kg) prevented under-saturation of CaCO3, even under pCO2 values exceeding 4000 µatm, attenuating the detrimental effects on the carbonate supply-side. Even so, variations in shell weight showed that net calcification was reduced under elevated CO2 and reduced pH, although the magnitude and significance of this effect varied among size-classes. Most of the loss of shell material probably occurred as post-deposition dissolution in the internal aragonitic nacre layer. Our results show that, even when reared under extreme levels of CO2-induced acidification, juvenile M. galloprovincialis can continue to calcify and grow in this coastal lagoon environment. The complex responses of bivalves to ocean acidification suggest a large degree of interspecific and intraspecific variability in their sensitivity to this type of perturbation. Further research is needed to assess the generality of these patterns and to disentangle the relative contributions of acclimation to local variations in seawater chemistry and genetic adaptation.

Tolerance of juvenile Mytilus galloprovincialis to experimental seawater acidification

Coastal ocean acidification is expected to interfere with the physiology of marine bivalves. In this work, the effects of acidification on the physiology of juvenile mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis were tested by means of controlled CO2 perturbation experiments. The carbonate chemistry of natural (control) seawater was manipulated by injecting CO2 to attain 2 reduced pH levels: -0.3 and -0.6 pH units as compared with the control seawater. After 78 d of exposure, we found that the absorption efficiency and ammonium excretion rate of juveniles were inversely related to pH. Significant differences among treatments were not observed in clearance, ingestion and respiration rates. Coherently, the maximal scope for growth and tissue dry weight were observed in mussels exposed to the pH reduction delta pH=-0.6, suggesting that M. galloprovincialis could be tolerant to CO2 acidification, at least in the highly alkaline coastal waters of Ria Formosa (SW Portugal).

Seawater carbonate chemistry and processes during experiments with marine mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis, 2005

In the context of future scenarios of progressive accumulation of anthropogenic CO2 in marine surface waters, the present study addresses the effects of long-term hypercapnia on a Mediterranean bivalve, Mytilus galloprovincialis. Sea-water pH was lowered to a value of 7.3 by equilibration with elevated CO2 levels. This is close to the maximum pH drop expected in marine surface waters during atmosextracellular pHric CO2 accumulation. Intra- and extracellular acid-base parameters as well as changes in metabolic rate and growth were studied under both normocapnia and hypercapnia. Long-term hypercapnia caused a permanent reduction in haemolymph pH. To limit the degree of acidosis, mussels increased haemolymph bicarbonate levels, which are derived mainly from the dissolution of shell CaCO3. Intracellular pH in various tissues was at least partly compensated; no deviation from control values occurred during long-term measurements in whole soft-body tissues. The rate of oxygen consumption fell significantly, indicating a lower metabolic rate. In line with previous reports, a close correlation became evident between the reduction in extracellular pH and the reduction in metabolic rate of mussels during hypercapnia. Analysis of frequency histograms of growth rate revealed that hypercapnia caused a slowing of growth, possibly related to the reduction in metabolic rate and the dissolution of shell CaCO3 as a result of extracellular acidosis. In addition, increased nitrogen excretion by hypercapnic mussels indicates the net degradation of protein, thereby contributing to growth reduction. The results obtained in the present study strongly indicate that a reduction in sea-water pH to 7.3 may be fatal for the mussels. They also confirm previous observations that a reduction in sea-water pH below 7.5 is harmful for shelled molluscs.

Evaluation of the Genotoxic and Physiological Effects of Decabromodiphenyl Ether (BDE-209) and Dechlorane Plus (DP) Flame Retardants in Marine Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis)

Dechlorane Plus (DP) is a proposed alternative to the legacy flame retardant decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209), a major component of Deca-BDE formulations. In contrast to BDE-209, toxicity data for DP are scarce and often focused on mice. Validated dietary in vivo exposure of the marine bivalve (Mytilus galloprovincialis) to both flame retardants did not induce effects at the physiological level (algal clearance rate), but induced DNA damage, as determined by the comet assay, at all concentrations tested. Micronuclei formation was induced by both DP and BDE-209 at the highest exposure concentrations (100 and 200 mu g/L, respectively, at 18% above controls). DP caused effects similar to those by BDE-209 but at lower exposure concentrations (5.6, 56, and 100 mu g/L for DP and 56, 100, and 200 mu g/L for BDE-209). Moreover, bioaccumulation of DP was shown to be concentration dependent, in contrast to BDE-209. The results described suggest that DP poses a greater genotoxic potential than BDE-209

Evaluation of the Genotoxic and Physiological Effects of Decabromodiphenyl Ether (BDE-209) and Dechlorane Plus (DP) Flame Retardants in Marine Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis)

Dechlorane Plus (DP) is a proposed alternative to the legacy flame retardant decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209), a major component of Deca-BDE formulations. In contrast to BDE-209, toxicity data for DP are scarce and often focused on mice. Validated dietary in vivo exposure of the marine bivalve (Mytilus galloprovincialis) to both flame retardants did not induce effects at the physiological level (algal clearance rate), but induced DNA damage, as determined by the comet assay, at all concentrations tested. Micronuclei formation was induced by both DP and BDE-209 at the highest exposure concentrations (100 and 200 mu g/L, respectively, at 18% above controls). DP caused effects similar to those by BDE-209 but at lower exposure concentrations (5.6, 56, and 100 mu g/L for DP and 56, 100, and 200 mu g/L for BDE-209). Moreover, bioaccumulation of DP was shown to be concentration dependent, in contrast to BDE-209. The results described suggest that DP poses a greater genotoxic potential than BDE-209

Premières observations sur la croissance des moules (Mytilus galloprovincialis Lmk) dans l'étang du Prévost

From 1972, oysters and mussels culture was introduced into a little lagoon of Languedoc, the lake of the Prévost. The principal geographic and hydrologic features of this lake are laid out . Then, the mussels growing (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from June 1973 to April 1974 is described.

Multibiomarker assessment of cadmium-based quantum dots effects in the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

Tese de Doutoramento, Ciências do Mar, da Terra e do Ambiente, Ramo: Ciências e Tecnologias do Ambiente, Especialização em Ecotoxicologia, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade do Algarve, 2016

Physiological Determinants of Invasive Success Linking Distribution Patterns to Metabolic Physiology in Native and Invasive Blue Mussels (genus Mytilus)

In the early 20th century, a blue mussel species from the Mediterranean invaded the California coast and subsequently out-competed the native species south of Monterey Bay. Like other invasive species, Mytilus galloprovincialis has physiological traits that make it successful in habitats formerly occupied by the native M. trossulus, namely its adaptation to warm sea surface temperatures. This study looks at the current genotype distributions and enzymatic activities of field-acclimatized mussels within the hybrid zone where the species co-occur as well as mussels that have been acclimated for four weeks to different temperature and salinity conditions. In the field-acclimatized and laboratory-acclimated mussels, the native species exhibited significantly higher enzyme rates, which may reflect an evolutionary adaptation to compensate to low habitat temperatures. Indeed, the results of the laboratory acclimation indicate that these differences are genetically based. Whether an acclimation capacity exists may require even longer-term acclimation to different temperatures. Current findings suggest that the further spread of the invasive species is likely to be governed in large measure by the potentially counteracting effects of rising temperatures, which would favor the northerly spread of M. galloprovincialis, and increased winter precipitation, which would favor the persistence of M. trossulus. However, the success of M. galloprovincialis during acclimation to ‘dilute’ salinity (25 ppt) suggests that the invasive species can tolerate a greater salinity range than previously thought. Thus, further investigation is needed to build a comprehensive predictive model of the movement of M. galloprovincialis and the hybrid zone along the California coast.

Aspects Of Gametogenesis In The Marine Mussel Mytilus-Edulis-L

Marine bivalve molluscs have in recent years attracted considerable attention for a variety of reasons, not least of which is their importance as a source of food for man. Much of this research has concentrated on studies of reproduction; Mytilus viridis (India: Nagabhushanam & Mane, 1975), M. edulis aoteanus and Aulacomya maoriana (New Zealand: Kennedy, 1977);Choromytilus meridionalis and Aulacomya ater (South Africa: Berry, 1978); Mytilus (= Perna) perna (Brazil: Lunetta, 1969); M. edulis planulatus (Australia: Wilson & Hodgkin, 1967); Mytilus californianus and M. edulis (U.S.A.: Hines, 1979); Mytilus galloprovincialis (France: Lubet, 1959) and M. edulis (U.K.: Chipperfield, 1953; Seed, 1975; Bayne et al. 1978). A review of the literature revealed that in the majority of studies cytology was used as a descriptive tool for the ‘staging’ (Chipperfield, 1953; Lubet, 1957; Seed, 1975, 1976) of the developing gametes and certain anomalies were apparent with regard to the nomenclature of the connective tissue matrix of the mantle lobes.