Meeting Abstract

P1.91  Tuesday, Jan. 4  The effects of artificial epibionts and wave exposure on the byssal thread production in the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis GARNER, Y.L.*; LITVAITIS, M.K.; University of New Hampshire; University of New Hampshire yvette.garner@unh.edu

The blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, is a bivalve mollusc that is found on rocky shores that are often subjected to high wave action and the resulting hydrodynamic forces of lift and drag. Mussels have adapted to life in the rocky intertidal by secreting collagenous byssal threads by which they become anchored to the substrate. The strength of byssal attachment is altered by water flow conditions, often marked by an increase in the number of threads under high flow rates (Carrington, 2002). Animal and plant epibionts often settle on mussel shells since they provide a hard substrate in the intertidal area, which might affect the growth and survival of the mussel. Due to higher hydrodynamic forces as a result of epibionts present, mussels deposit more byssal threads to prevent dislodgement, and thus expend a great deal of energy into byssal thread production (Thieltges and Buschbaum, 2006). Field studies were carried out in 2009 and 2010 along the New Hampshire coast to assess the effects of artificial epibionts on M. edulis byssal thread production in relation to wave exposure. In an effort to focus on the effects of abiotic factors, artificial epibionts were attached to the mussel shells to exclude biological effects that natural epibionts might have on the mussel.