Bioenergetic Effects of Cutting Mussel Byssus Threads, Mytilus trossulus
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Date
2014-06-30Author
LaFramboise, Sam
Dethier, Megan
Lowe, Alex
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Show full item recordAbstract
Mussels are filter feeders living and thriving in the harsh conditions of the
intertidal environment. Many factors attribute to their success including aggregating in
groups, hard shells, but more specifically their ability to strongly attach themselves to
substrate with byssal threads. Byssus is a proteinaceous fiber excreted by the byssal foot
of a mussel for attachment. It is important to understand the energy distribution Mytilus
trossulus, by investigating the energetic cost of byssus production. In this study we
manipulate M. trossulus into producing different amounts of byssus among three
treatments over a thirty-day experiment. Three byssal removal regiments: those cut daily,
those cut weekly, and those never cut, were measured and analyzed for comparisons in
metric growth. The mussels with byssal threads being cut daily showed the lowest
percent increases in shell length, height, width, and weight among the three treatment
groups.