Abstract
In order to elucidate the mode of particle ingestion and the functional anatomy of the oesophagus in bivalves, a histological study was performed onMytilus edulis (Mytilidae),Crassostrea virginica (Ostreidae),Placopecten magellanicus, Chlamys varia, and juvenilePecten maximus (Pectinidae). Specimens were sampled from various sites in New Brunswick, Canada, and Brittany, France, from 1987 to 1989. The buccal, peribuccal, and oesophageal epithelia of all species contained a dense distribution of actively secreting mucocytes, although these were somewhat less abundant inCrassostrea virginica, which also has the shortest oesophagus. Mucocyte morphology, while constant within a family (Pectinidae), showed clear differences among families. Both acid and neutral mucopolysaccharides were secreted by the epithelial mucocytes of all species. Mucus and mucus-particle masses were observed in the peribuccal and buccal regions, as well as in the oesophageal lumina of all species, even in those specimens which had been maintained without feeding (Placopecten magellanicus) or held out of water for 48 h (C. virginica) prior to dissection and fixation. These results indicate that a basal level of mucus production and transport is continuous on the peribuccal, buccal, and oesophageal ciliated epithelia, regardless of the particle concentration in the external medium. Buccooesophageal glands, generally thought to be absent in the Bivalvia, were observed in one of the species examined (M. edulis). It is concluded that the mode of particle ingestion in these suspension-feeding bivalves is via ciliatransported mucus masses; the presence of buccooesophageal glands inM. edulis suggests a digestive role for the oesophagus in this species.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature cited
Barnes, R. D. (1987). Invertebrate zoology, 5th edn. Saunders College Publishing, Philadelphia
Bayne, B. L., Thompson, R. J., Widdows, J. (1976). Physiology 1. In: Bayne, B. L. (ed.) Marine mussels, their ecology and physiology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Beninger, P. G. (1987). A qualitative and quantitative study of the reproductive cycle of the giant scallop,Placopecten magellanicus, in the Bay of Fundy (New Brunswick, Canada). Can. J. Zool. 65: 495–498
Beninger, P. G. (1991). Structures and mechanisms of feeding in scallops: paradigms and paradoxes. In: Shumway, S. E. (ed.) An international compendium of scallop biology and culture. J. World Aquacult. Soc. (special issue) (in press)
Beninger, P. G., Auffrett, M., Le Pennec, M. (1990a). Peribuccal organs ofPlacopecten magellanicus andChlamys varia (Mollusca: Bivalvia): structure, ultrastructure, and implications for feeding. I. The labial palps. Mar. Biol. 107: 215–223
Beninger, P. G., Le Pennec, M., Auffrett, M. (1990b) Peribuccal organs ofPlacopecten magellanicus andChlamys varia (Mollusca: Bivalvia): structure, ultrastructure, and implications for feeding. II. The lips. Mar. Biol. 107: 225–233
Beninger, P. G., Le Pennec, M., Salaün, M. (1988). New observations of the gills ofPlacopecten magellanicus (Mollusca: Bivalvia), and implications for nutrition. I. General anatomy and surface microanatomy. Mar. Biol. 98: 61–70
Bernard, F. R. (1974). Particle sorting and labial palp function in the Pacific oysterCrassostrea gigas (Thunberg, 1795). Biol. Bull. mar. biol. Lab., Woods Hole 146: 1–10
Dakin, W. J. (1909). Pecten. L. M. B. C. Mem. typ. Brit. mar. Pl. Anim. 17: 1–36
Drew, G. A. (1906). The habits, anatomy and embryology of the giant scallop (Pecten tenuicostatus Mighels). Univ. Maine Stud. 6: 1–71
Foster-Smith, R. L. (1975). The role of mucus in the mechanism of feeding in three filter-feeding bivalves. Proc. malac. Soc. Lond. 41: 571–588
Foster-Smith, R. L. (1978). The function of the pallial organs of bivalves in controlling ingestion. J. mollusc. Stud. 44: 83–89
Franc, A. (1960). Classe des Bivalves. In: Grassé, P. P. (ed.) Traité de Zoologie, Tome V, Fascicule II. Masson et Cie., Paris
Galtsoff, P. S. (1964). The American oysterCrassostrea virginica Gmelin. Fishery Bull. Fish Wildl. Serv. U.S. 64: 111–120
Gutsell, J. S. (1931). Natural history of the bay scallop. Bull. Bur. Fish., Wash. 46: 569–632
Hickman, C. P., Roberts, L. S., Hickman, F. M. (1984). Integrated principles of zoology, 7th edn. Times Mirror/Mosby College Publishing, St. Louis
Jørgensen, C. B. (1981). Feeding and cleaning mechanisms in the suspension feeding bivalveMytilus edulis. Mar. Biol 65: 159–163
Jørgensen, C. B., Kiørboe, T., Møhlenberg, F., Riisgard, H. U. (1984). Ciliary and mucus-net filter feeding, with special reference to fluid mechanical characteristics. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 15: 283–292
Kiørboe, T., Møhlenberg, F. (1981). Particle selection in suspensionfeeding bivalves. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 5: 291–296
Le Pennec, M., Beninger, P. G., Herry, A. (1988). New observations of the gills ofPlacopecten magellanicus (Mollusca: Bivalvia), and implications for nutrition. II. Internal anatomy and microanatomy. Mar. Biol. 98: 229–237
Moore, H. J. (1971). The structure of the latero-frontal cirri on the gills of certain lamellibranch molluscs and their role in suspension feeding. Mar. Biol. 11: 23–27
Morton, B. (1983). Feeding and digestion in Bivalvia. In: Saleuddin, A. S. M., Wilbur, K. M. (eds.) The Mollusca, Vol. 5, Physiology, Part 2. Academic Press, New York
Morton, J. E. (1960). The functions of the gut in ciliary feeders. Biol. Rev. 35: 92–140
Morton, J. E. (1979). Molluscs, 5th edn. Hutchinson and Co., London
Murakami, A., Sleigh, M. (1989). Introduction. Symposium on comparative physiology of ciliary functions. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 94A: 347–349
Owen, G. (1966). Digestion. In: Wilbur, K. M., Yonge, C. M. (eds.) Physiology of Mollusca, Vol. 2. Academic Press, New York
Owen, G. (1974). Studies on the gill ofMytilus edulis: the eulaterofrontal cirri. Proc. R. Soc. (Ser. B) 194: 527–544
Owen, G. (1978). Classification and the bivalve gill. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. (Ser. B) 284: 377–385
Owen, G., McCrae, J. M. (1976). Further studies on the latero-frontal tracts of bivalves. Proc. R. Soc. (Ser. B) 194: 527–544
Pearse, V., Pearse, J., Buchsbaum, M., Buchsbaum, R. (1987). Living invertebrates. Boxwood Press, Pacific Grove, California
Prezant, R. S. (1985). Molluscan mucins: a unifying thread. Am. malac. Bull. Special Edition No. 1: 35–50
Purchon, R. D. (1977). The biology of the Mollusca, 2nd edn. Pergamon Press, Oxford
Salvini-Plawen, L. v. (1988). Structure and function of digestive systems. In: Trueman, E. R., Clarke, M. R. (eds.) The Mollusca, Vol. 11, Form and function. Academic Press, New York
Shaw, B. L., Battle, H. I. (1957). The gross and microscopic anatomy of the digestive tract of the oysterCrassostrea virginica (Gmelin). Can. J. Zool. 35: 325–347
Sylvester, N. R., Sleigh, M. A. (1984). Hydrodynamic aspects of particle capture ofMytilus edulis. J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 64: 859–879
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by R. O'Dor, Halifax
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Beninger, P.G., Le Pennec, M. & Donval, A. Mode of particle ingestion in five species of suspension-feeding bivalve molluscs. Mar. Biol. 108, 255–261 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01344340
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01344340