Meeting Abstract

102.4  Sunday, Jan. 6  Scaling of the ctenidium in juvenile suspension feeding bivalves PERINO, L..L.; PADILLA, D.K.*; Stony Brook University; Stony Brook University dianna.padilla@stonybrook.edu

The ctenidium, or gill, of suspension-feeding bivalves has two major functions. It is a respiratory organ, but is it also the primary organ used for feeding. Cilia on the ctenidium form the pump that circulates water past the ctenidium, and, in most cases, also function to move particulates, primarily microalgae, caught on mucus to the mouth for feeding. Although the effects of size and form of the ctenidium on these functions has been explored in adult bivalves, the scaling of the elements of this organ and possible consequences on function, especially in newly metamorphosed bivalves has not. As juveniles, the ctenidium is a simple curtain of straight filaments, and animals do not attain the complex form of adults for months past metamorphosis. We studied the size scaling of ctenidia in juveniles (from 0.2 mm – 2 mm) of Argopecten irradians, Mytilus edulis and Crassostrea virginica. Although ctenidia filament diameter differed among species, within a species the width of the filaments did not change with body size. However, the length of ctenidial filaments for each species increased linearly with body size, and the body size-specific length of filaments was the same across species.