Mussel biology: from the byssus to ecology and physiology, including microplastic ingestion and deep-sea adaptations

Abstract

Mussels are a group of bivalves that includes the dominant species of shallow-sea, freshwater, and deep-sea chemosynthetic ecosystems. Mussels cling to various solid underwater surfaces using a proteinaceous thread, called the byssus, which is central to their ecology, physiology, and evolution. Mussels cluster using their byssi to form “mussel beds,” thereby increasing their biomass per unit of habitat area, and also creating habitats for other organisms. Clustered mussels actively filter feed to obtain nutrients, but also ingest pollutants and suspended particles; thus, mussels are good subjects for pollution analyses, especially for microplastic pollution. The byssus also facilitates invasiveness, allowing mussels to hitchhike on ships, and to utilize other man-made structures, including quay walls and power plant inlets, which are less attractive to native species. Physiologically, mussels have adapted to environmental stressors associated with a sessile lifestyle. Osmotic adaptation is especially important for life in intertidal zones, and taurine is a major component of that adaptation. Taurine accumulation systems have also been modified to adapt to sulfide-rich environments near deep-sea hydrothermal vents. The byssus may have also enabled access to vent environments, allowing mussels to attach to “evolutionary stepping stones” and also to vent chimneys.

Internal Defense System of Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck, 1819): Ecological Role of Hemocytes as Biomarkers for Thiacloprid and Benzo[a]Pyrene Pollution

“…These processes can be affected by exposure to pollutants, pathogens, and other environmental stressors. Therefore, changes in hemocyte morphology, function, and gene expression can provide valuable information about the health and condition of mussels and their environment [ 55 ].…”

Byssus of Green-Lipped Mussel Perna viridis as a Biomonitoring Biopolymer for Zinc Pollution in Coastal Waters

“…The main species of shallow-sea, freshwater, and deep-sea chemosynthetic environments are all members of the bivalve group known as mussels. The byssus (BYS), a proteinaceous thread used by mussels to adhere to different solid underwater surfaces, is essential to their ecology, physiology, and evolution [ 1 ]. Reinecke and Harrington [ 2 ] identified 114 marine mussels ( Mytilidae ) as sessile bivalve mollusks that live in the areas of rocky seaside habitats that are most affected by waves.…”

Difference in sulfur regulation mechanism between tube-dwelling and free-moving polychaetes sympatrically inhabiting deep-sea hydrothermal chimneys

“…Some of the polychaete species are known to prefer positions directly exposed to vent fluids. For example, at the hydrothermal vents in Myojin Knoll Caldera in Izu-Ogasawara Area of the North-Western Pacific Ocean, the polychaetes Paralvinella hessleri and Polynoidae are observed to occupy positions near the upper parts of the chimneys of the vents [ 14 – 18 ]. Therefore, such vent-specific polychaetes are thought to have mechanisms to cope with the toxicity of hydrogen sulfide.…”