Abstract
The effects of various factors on byssal thread formation have been examined in the laboratory using Modiolus demissus and Mytilus edulis. With M. demissus thread formation (threads/mussel/h0 and proportion of mussels forming threads decreased with increasing size; prior exposure to air enhanced subsequent thread formation; mechanical agitation reduced thread formation. In addition, low salinity acclimated mussels adapted more rapidly to 32 ppt than high salinity acclimated mussels did to 16 ppt; threads were not formed in the absence of calcium and/or magnesium; and there was no reduction in thread formation at temperatures as high as 27° to 28°C. M. edulis died and thread formation approached zero at temperatures exceeding 26°C.
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Contribution No. 352 from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Communicated by G. L. Voss, Miami
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Van Winkle, W. Effect of environmental factors on byssal thread formation. Marine Biology 7, 143–148 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00354918
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00354918