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Oxygen consumption during digestion in Anodonta anatina and Unio pictorum in response to algal concentration

  • FRESHWATER MOLLUSCS
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Abstract

The metabolic activity of unionid mussels influences the oxygen fluxes and other physical and chemical characteristics in aquatic systems. Unionid oxygen consumption rate during digestion and its dependency on food availability is understudied. In laboratory conditions, we quantified the oxygen consumption rate of Anodonta anatina and Unio pictorum in response to algal concentration—0.05, 6.0 and 12.0 mg of Ash Free Dry Mass of Chlorella vulgaris L−1—and mussel dry soft-tissue mass at 19 ± 1°C. Following a 5-h feeding-period, the oxygen consumption rate (mg O2 h−1) increased with algal concentration and mussel dry mass in both species during a 2-h digestion-period. The mean oxygen consumption per gram of dry mass (mg O2 gDM−1 h−1) increased with the algal concentration in both species. The oxygen consumption rate of A. anatina was significantly greater than that of U. pictorum at a given algal concentration. The A. anatina oxygen consumption per gram of dry mass decreased with increasing dry mass. Oxygen consumption rate during digestion shows inter-specific differences and is dependent on food availability. The findings inform the species-specific quantification of oxygen consumption, and validation is required in in situ conditions.

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Acknowledgments

We conducted the experiments at the Aquatic Research Facility at the University for Derby. From the University, we sincerely thank Ms Angle E. Ward for assisting in animal husbandry. Besides the University, we thank Mr Marinos Efthymiou for his support in developing the mathematical equations used to measure algal concentrations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aquatic Research Facility, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, University of Derby, DE22 1GB, Derby, UK

    Charitos Zapitis, Maren Huck & Andrew Ramsey

  2. Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), PROCEED, 27498, Helgoland, Germany

    Charitos Zapitis

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  1. Charitos Zapitis
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  2. Maren Huck
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  3. Andrew Ramsey
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Correspondence to Charitos Zapitis.

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Guest editors: Manuel P. M. Lopes-Lima, Nicoletta Riccardi, Maria Urbanska & Ronaldo G. Sousa / Biology and Conservation of Freshwater Molluscs.

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Zapitis, C., Huck, M. & Ramsey, A. Oxygen consumption during digestion in Anodonta anatina and Unio pictorum in response to algal concentration. Hydrobiologia 848, 3209–3217 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-021-04559-0

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