Effects of temperature on the mussel pump

Abstract

The nature of the bivalve filter-pump was further elucidated in the n~ussel Mytilus edulis by investigating effects of temperature on pump and system characteristics. Pumping rates increased with temperature, linearly correlated with the temperature-determined decrease in viscosity of the water. The variation in pumping rate with temperature thus corresponded to the varying viscous resistance to water flow in the canal system of the mussel-pump. The increase in beat frequency of the lateral cilia with temperature therefore had no clear effect on the pumping rate. Also, spawning stimulation of beat frequency was without effect on pumping rates. In the back pressure-flow characteristic of fully open, active mussels, pump pressure at zero flow (AH;) was independent of temperature. Predictions based on the pump modelled as a leaky, viscous, constant-force pump were in good agreement with measured and estimated pump parameters, further supporting the concept of suspension-feeding bivalves as filter-pumps that process the ambient water autonomously -that is, in the absence of physiological mechanisms for regulating water pumping.

Muscling in on mussels: new insights into bivalve behaviour using vertebrate remote-sensing technology

“…3) and, in any event, obviates problems with animals being disturbed by procedures involving divers or workers entering the laboratory and thus possibly causing shell gap closure. Our work indicates that this latter problem may be far more prevalent than previously suspected and might, in part, explain why growth rates of blue mussels in the laboratory tend to be lower than those of animals in the wild (Famme et al 1986;Jørgensen et al 1990). The absence of a well-defined diurnal rhythm in gape angle in laboratory blue mussels compared to that in the wild as well as the slow return (over 2 days) to a more obvious diurnal pattern certainly implies that our study animals were substantially disturbed, even though they were treated according to standard aquaculture protocols to maximize well-being.…”

Seasonal variation of in situ feeding rates by the temperate ascidian Halocynthia papillosa

“…Recently, several studies have indicated that these organisms play an important role in plankton-benthos coupling (e.g. Jerrgensen 1990, Gili & Coma 1998. Ascidians, together with sponges and molluscs, are among the groups better represented in hard substrate communities in littoral zones such as tropical areas (Koike & Suzuki 1996), temperate seas (Ramos 1988, Turon 1990a, Petersen & Riisgdrd 1992, kelp beds (Newel1 et al 1982), and Antarctic waters (Gerdes et al 1992).…”

Feeding activity, retention efficiency, and effects of temperature and particle concentration on clearance rate in the marine bryozoan Electra crustulenta

“…It has been debated whether the increase in clearance rate is due to physical effects or increased biological activity (e.g. Jørgensen et al 1990, Riisgård & Larsen 1995, Petersen et al 1999.…”