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Using Biometrics, Behavioral Observations, and Multiple Molecular Techniques to Assess the Impacts of Changes in Temperature and Salinity on the Common Bay Mussel (Mytilus trossulus)
Summary
This study used multiple molecular and physiological techniques to assess how the common bay mussel responds to changes in temperature and salinity, providing baseline data for understanding climate change impacts. Mussels are also used as sentinel organisms for monitoring microplastic contamination in coastal waters.
The intertidal zone is a place of rapid and frequent change that is home to a variety of creatures who are essential to the integrity of the habitat. Mussels are robust sessile bivalves that anchor to the rocks of the intertidal. The prominent species on the Oregon Coast, the Common Bay Mussel (Mytilus trossulus), plays an essential role as a coastal food source, water column filter, and barrier to prevent erosion due to wave action. Mytilus trossulus withstands daily shifts in temperature, salinity, and tide, as well as seasonal changes. Global climate change due to excess carbon emissions is expected to increase temperature, decrease salinity, and cause shifts in sea level beyond what intertidal organisms such as M. trossulus experience. Observing the response of M. trossulus to these changing conditions can reveal the limits of essential intertidal invertebrates leading to its potential as a biological indicator for climate change. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the impacts of climate change, we must understand seasonal impacts and navigate various ways of testing impacts on this species. The aim of this work was to: 1) characterize seasonal weight variability in the gametes, gills, and adductor muscles of M. trossulus, 2) use protein assay and flow cytometry to further understand the impact of seasonal and climate changes, and 3) understand the influence of tidal fluctuation on a mussels survivability in response to short-term changes in temperature and salinity. Approximately 190 mussels were collected from the Boiler Bay Intertidal Research Reserve in the Fall, Winter, and Spring. Mussel body size varied greatly, but during the Spring individuals could reach 45 g. Fulton's Body Condition Index (K) was calculated to assess nutritional condition between the seasons. The average seasonal weight of adductor muscles, gametes, and gills were measured and revealed an increase in gamete weight in the Winter and Spring and gill weight in the Spring. Mussels (n= 15) were placed in a treatment group that was based on temperature and salinity. Following those treatments, n= 5 mussels were measured and dissected, leading to the performance of a Bradford Protein Assay to assess protein concentration in adductor muscles and flow cytometry to assess the cell cycle within gills. In this study, flow cytometry was used to understand the impact of seasonal changes and climate changes on distribution of gill cells in the cell cycle. Changes in the cell cycle of gill tissue could lead to
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