Responses of the mussel Brachidontes rodriguezii to aerial exposure: implications on growth and physiological condition

Canadian Journal of Zoology, e-First Articles. The length of aerial exposure (i.e., environmental conditions) of an organism, due to daily tides, induces physiological responses. A mark –recapture field experiment was conducted in two intertidal zones (low tide and high tide) using the stain calcein AM to determine growth, as measured by shell length, of the mussel Brachidontes rodriguezii (d’Orbigny, 1842) along its vertical distribution off the north Argentinean coast. In the high intertidal zone, B. rodriguezii exhibited slower growth in shell length because of the physiological stress resulting from aerial exposure during low tides. In the low intertidal zone and during spring, B. rodriguezii exhibited faster growth in shell length. It is suggested that growth of B. r odriguezii relies on several environmental factors (temperature, photoperiod, and aerial exposure) that fluctuate according to tidal height.
Source: Canadian Journal of Zoology - Category: Zoology Authors: Source Type: research