Estimating time-to-gravid for a freshwater mussel, Utterbackia imbecillis (Unionidae), after temperature conditioning in the laboratory
The juvenile of Utterbackia imbecillis has recently become an important toxicity test organism. However, in temperate climates, gravid U. imbecillis are not readily available during many months of the year, especially if shoreline collection methods are used. This shortage of gravid mussels presents a logistical problem for use of juvenile U. imbecillis as toxicity test organisms. Therefore, this study was designed to test the feasibility of delaying and manipulating glochidial maturation in the laboratory through temperature control, because temperature changes seem to cue the maturation of glochidia in gravid mussels in the natural environment. The objectives of this study were to determine whether glochidial maturation can be stalled by holding adult mussels at cold temperatures, to determine if glochidial maturation could be cued by increasing water temperature at the time juveniles are needed for toxicity testing, and to predict the time required for cold-stored mussels to become gravid. Results of this study suggest that glochidial maturation can be stalled by holding mussels at winter temperature. Furthermore, glochidial maturation can later be cued by increasing the water temperature. Additionally, a survival analysis method is suitable for estimating the time-to-gravid for cold-stored mussels. These results should be useful for researchers requiring year-round availability of U. imbecillis for toxicity testing.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (US)
- OSTI ID:
- 20013184
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 18, Issue 7; Other Information: PBD: Jul 1999; ISSN 0730-7268
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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