Byssus-thread formation by the mussel Mytilus edulis: effects of environmental factors

Abstract

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at https://about.jstor.org/terms is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Marine Ecology Progress Series This content downloaded from 156.155.132.66 on Tue, 19 Sep 2023 18:18:01 +00:000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms ABSTRACT: Temperature, excision, salinity, tidal regime, and seasonality all affected byssus produc tion in the mussel Mytilus edulisL.-, however, the most influential factor studied was agitation. Mussels agitated every 4.5 s produce 15.8 threads ind-1 d_1, a rate twice that stimulated by any of the other factors. An acclimation period of up to 2 wk was required for byssus-thread formation to return to that of control mussels after exposure to high temperatures, low salinities and rapid agitation. Byssus-thread production during experiments was neither random nor steady, but rather in response to a number of contributing factors, the relative importance of which will ultimately depend on the environment in which the mussel is found.