New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

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Effects of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense on the greenshell mussel Perna canaliculus

ISLAYD.MARSDEN

Department of Zoology University of Canterbury P.O. Box 4800 Christchurch, New Zealand

SANDRA E. SHUMWAY

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
and Maine Department of Marine Resources West Boothbay Harbor Maine 04575, USA

Abstract Oxygen consumption, grazing rate, and byssus production of the greenshell mussel Perna canaliculus were measured following exposure to bloom concentrations (10⁶ cells I"¹) of a toxic clone of the dinoflagellate Alexandriumtamarense (GT429), using anon-toxic clone of the same species (PLY173) as control. Following feeding for 1 h on GT429, mussels (dry weight 54-127 mg) showed significantly increased oxygen uptake at 15°C (0.08 pi O2 (mg dry tissue weight)"¹) compared with control mussels. However, following 24 h recovery, oxygen uptake was similar to initial values in all experimental conditions. The grazing rate of P. canaliculus fed upon toxic clone GT429 was 4.58 ± 0.76 cells mg"¹ h"¹ compared with 1.99 ± 0.47 cells mg"¹ h"¹ for PLY173. On exposure to A tamarense, mussels maintained normal opening behaviour and there was no change in the byssus production ova 24 h. It was concluded that P. canaliculus showed no dramatic physiological effects following short-term feeding on the toxic strain of A. tamarense. During 2 weeks' exposure to twice daily bloom concentrations of GT429, there was no mussel mortality. Toxicity in the tissues was 1295 ng STX equivalent per 100 g tissue, levels at which these mussels would be unsuitable for human or animal consumption. M92013 Received 25 February 1992; accepted 21 October 1992

Keywords Alexandrium tamarense; Perna canaliculus; red tide; oxygen uptake; byssus production; mussel ecophysiology; paralytic shellfish poisoning

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 1992, Vol. 26: 371-378 The Royal Society of New Zealand 1992
Received 25 February 1992; accepted 21 October 1992

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (763K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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