Effect of Salinity-Changing Rates on Filtration Activity of Mussels from Two Sites within the Baltic Mytilus Hybrid Zone: The Brackish Great Belt (Denmark) and the Low Saline Central Baltic Sea

Hans Ulrik Riisgård, Magali Mulot, Lucia Merino, Daniel Pleissner

Marine Biological Research Centre, University of Southern Denmark, Kerteminde, Denmark.

DOI: 10.4236/ojms.2014.42011                

Abstract

Mussels from two sites within the Baltic mussel (Mytilus edulis × M. trossulus) hybrid zone were used in a comparative study on the effects of salinity-changing rates on filtration activity. The acute effect of varying salinity-changing rates was found to be similar in M. edulis from the brackish Great Belt and in M. trossulus from the low saline Central Baltic Sea, and the relationships could be described by linear regression lines through 0.0 indicating that the acute effect of deteriorating conditions at decreasing salinities is the opposite as for improving conditions when the salinity is subsequently increased. Further, both M. edulis and M. trossulus acclimatized to 20 psu reacted to an acute salinity change to 6.5 psu by immediately closing their valves whereupon the filtration rate gradually increased during the following days, but only M. trossulus had completely acclimatized to 6.5 psu within 5 days which may be explained by different genotypes of M. edulis and M. trossulus which probably reflected an evolutionary adaptation of the latter to survive in the stable low-salinity Baltic Sea.

Keywords

Blue Mussels; Mytilus edulis; Mytilus trossulus; Acute Salinity Effects; Acclimatization; Filtration Rates

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Davenport, J. (1979) The Isolation Response of Mussels (Mytilus edulis L.) Exposed to Falling Seawater Concentrations. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 59, 123-132. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0025315400046221
[2]	Almada-Villela, P.C. (1984) The Effects of Reduced Salinity on the Shell Growth of Small Mytilus edulis. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 64, 71-182. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0025315400059713
[3]	Gruffydd, L.L.D., Huxley, R. and Crisp, D.J. (1984) The Reduction in Growth of Mytilus edulis in Fluctuating Salinity Regimes Measured Using Laser Diffraction Patterns and the Exaggeration of This Effect by Using Tap Water as the Diluting Medium. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 64, 401-409. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0025315400030071
[4]	Essink, K. and Bos, A.H. (1985) Growth of Three Bivalve Molluscs Transplanted along the Axis of the Ems Estuary. Netherlands Journal of Sea Research, 19, 45-51. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0077-7579(85)90042-0
[5]	Kautsky, N., Johannesson, K. and Tedengren, M. (1990) Genotypic and Phenotypic Differences between Baltic and North Sea Populations of Mytilus edulis Evaluated through Reciprocal Transplantations. I. Growth and Morphology. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 59, 203-210. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps059203
[6]	Tedengren, M., André, C., Johannesson, K. and Kautsky, N. (1990) Genotypic and Phenotypic Differences between Baltic and North Sea Populations of Mytilus edulis Evaluated through Reciprocal Transplantations. III. Physiology. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 59, 221-227. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps059221
[7]	Westerbom, M., Kilpi, M. and Mustonen, O. (2002) Blue Mussels, Mytilus edulis, at the Edge of the Range: Population Structure, Growth and Biomass along a Salinity Gradient in the North-Eastern Baltic Sea. Marine Biology, 140, 991-999. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00227-001-0765-6
[8]	Marsden, I.D. (2004) Effects of Reduced Salinity and Seston Availability on Growth of the New Zealand Little-Neck Clam Austrovenus stutchburi. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 266, 157-171. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps266157
[9]	Hamer, B., Jaksic, Z., Pavicic-Hamer, D., Peric, L., Medakovic, D., Ivankovic, D., Pavicic, J., Zilberg, C., Schroder, H.C., Müller, W.E.G., Smodlaka, N. and Batel, R. (2008) Effect of Hypoosmotic Stress by Low Salinity Acclimation of Mediterranean Mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis on Biological Parameters Used for Pollution Assessment. Aquatic Toxicology, 89, 137-151. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aquatox.2008.06.015
[10]	Qiu, J.-W., Tremblay, R. and Bourget, E. (2002) Ontogenetic Changes in Hyposaline Tolerance in the Mussels Mytilus edulis and M. trossulus: Implications for Distribution. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 228, 143-152. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps228143
[11]	Riisgard, H.U., Bottiger, L. and Pleissner, D. (2012) Effect of Salinity on Growth of Mussels, Mytilus edulis, with Special Reference to Great Belt (Denmark). Open Journal of Marine Science, 2, 167-176. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ojms.2012.24020
[12]	Hiebenthal, C., Philipp, E.E.R., Eisenhauer, A. and Wahl, M. (2012) Interactive Effects of Temperature and Salinity on shell Formation and General Condition in Baltic Sea Mytilus edulis and Arctica islandica. Aquatic Biology, 14, 289-298. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/ab00405
[13]	McFarland, K., Donaghy, L. and Volety, A.K. (2013) Effect of Acute Salinity Changes on Hemolymph Osmolality and Clearance Rate of the Non-Native Mussel, Perna viridis, and the Native Oyster, Crassostrea virginica, in Southwest Florida. Aquatic Invasions, 8, 299-310. http://dx.doi.org/10.3391/ai.2013.8.3.06
[14]	Costa, C.J. and Pritchard, A.W. (1978) The Response of Mytilus edulis to Short Duration Hypoosmotic Stress. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, 61A, 149-155. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0300-9629(78)90292-X
[15]	Davenport, J. (1979) Is Mytilus edilis a Short Term Osmoregulator? Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, 64A, 91-95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0300-9629(79)90436-5
[16]	Riisgard, H.U., Lüskow, F., Pleissner, D., Lundgreen, K. and López, M.A.P. (2013) Effect of Salinity on Filtration Rates of Mussels Mytilus edulis with Special Emphasis on Dwarfed Mussels from the Low-Saline Central Baltic Sea. Helgoland Marine Research, 67, 591-598. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10152-013-0347-2
[17]	Theisen, B.F. (1978) Allozyme Clines and Evidence of Strong Selection in Three Loci in Mytilus edulis L. (Bivalva) from Danish Waters. Ophelia, 17, 135-142. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00785326.1978.10425477
[18]	H.-P. Bulnheim and E. Gosling (1988) Population Genetic Structure of Mussels from the Baltic Sea. Helgolander Meeresuntersuchungen, 42, 113-129. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02364207
[19]	Johannesson, K., Kautsky, N. and Tedengren, M. (1990) Genotypic and Phenotypic Differences between Baltic and North Sea Populations of Mytilus edulis Evaluated through Reciprocal Transplantations. II. Genetic Variation. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 59, 211-219. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps059211
[20]	Riginos, C. and Cunningham, C.W. (2005) Local Adaptation and Species Segregation in Two Mussel (Mytilus edulis × Mytilus trossulus) Hybrid Zones. Molecular Ecology, 14, 381-400. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2004.02379.x
[21]	Zbawicka, M., Burzynski, A. and Wenne, R. (2007) Complete Sequences of Mitochondrial Genomes from the Baltic Mussel Mytilus trossulus. Gene, 406, 191-198. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gene.2007.10.003
[22]	Stuckas, H., Stoof, K., Quesada, H. and Tiedemann, R. (2009) Evolutionary Implications of Discordant Clines across the Baltic Mytilus Hybrid Zone (Mytilus edulis and Mytilus trossulus). Heredity, 103, 146-156. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/hdy.2009.37
[23]	Vainola, R. and Strelkov, P. (2011) Mytilus trossulus in Northern Europe. Marine Biology, 158, 817-833. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00227-010-1609-z
[24]	Pleissner, D., Lundgreen, K., Lüskow, F. and Riisgard, H.U. (2013) Fluorometer Controlled Apparatus Designed for Long-Term Algal-Feeding Experiments and Environmental Effect Studies with Mussels. Journal of Marine Biology, 2013, Article ID: 401961. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/401961
[25]	Kautsky, N. (1982) Growth and Size Structure in a Baltic Mytilus edulis Population. Marine Biology, 68, 117-133. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00397599
[26]	Tedengren, M. and Kautsky, N. (1986) Comparative Study of the Physiology and Its Probable Effect on Size in Blue Mussels (Mytilus edulis L.) from the North Sea and the Northern Baltic Proper. Ophelia, 25, 147-155. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00785326.1986.10429746
[27]	Vuorinen, I., Antsulevich, A.E. and Maximovich, N.V. (2002) Spatial Distribution and Growth of the Common Mussel Mytilus edulis L. in the Archipelago of SW-Finland, Northern Baltic Sea. Boreal Environment Research, 7, 41-52.
[28]	Mohlenberg, F. and Riisgard, H.U. (1978) Efficiency of Particle Retention in 13 Species of Suspension-Feeding Bivalves. Ophelia, 17, 139-246. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00785326.1978.10425487
[29]	Riisgard, H.U., Jorgensen, B.H., Lundgreen, K., Storti, F., Walther, J.H., Meyer, K.E. and Larsen, P.S. (2011) The Exhalant Jet of Mussels Mytilus edulis. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 437, 147-164. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps09268
[30]	Neufeld, D.S. and Wright, S.H. (1996) Response of Cell Volume in Mytilus Gill to Acute Salinity Change. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 199, 473-484.
[31]	Sadok, S., Uglow, R.F. and Haswell, S.J. (1997) Haemolymph and Mantle Fluid Ammonia and Ninhydrin Positive Substances Variations in Salinity-Challenged Mussels (Mytilus edulis L.). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 212, 195-212. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0022-0981(96)02732-3