Effect of copper on Mytilus californianus and Mytilus edulis. Annual report

Technical Report · Fri Jun 06 04:00:00 EDT 1980

OSTI ID:5260875

Mytilus edulis and Mytilus californianus have come into widespread use as valuable test animals in estimating the effects and extent of copper pollution, both naturally as indicators and under simulated conditions as bioassays. These mussels are known bioaccumulators of heavy metals. They have a broad distribution, and mutually exclusive habitats. How the mussel reacts to copper is directly related to how copper affects the physiology of the mussel. The filtration rate and oxygen consumption of Mytilus are known to decline by more than 50% under exposure to as low as 200 ppB Cu in the water. Decline in heart rate (bradycardia) also occurs under exposure to copper. Byssus thread production suffers in copper concentrations of 500 ppB and higher. The ability of M. edulis to close its valves in the presence of copper has been documented by several researchers. Of all the physiological parameters, oxygen consumption, heart rate, and valve closure are basic physiological functions which are easily measured. Mortality of Mytilus edulis is known to occur at concentrations of copper 330 ppB and higher within four to five days. It would be advantageous to have a continuous monitoring of the heart, oxygen consumption, and valve gape during this period to determine the state of each and the contribution of each to the possible death of the mussel. This study involves monitoring the three above physiological functions under varying concentrations of copper. In both species, M. edulis and M. californianus, detailed toxicological response records were obtained for each function. These records were then used to compare the physiological responses of each species to different levels of ambient copper in order to explain the possibility of repeatable, species-specific, response patterns to copper. (ERB)

• Research Organization: California State Univ., Hayward (USA). Dept. of Biological Sciences
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 5260875
• Report Number(s): UCRL-15247
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
551000 -- Physiological Systems
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59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
BODY
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CONTROL EQUIPMENT
COPPER
DATA
DATA FORMS
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
ECOSYSTEMS
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FLOW REGULATORS
HEART
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
INVERTEBRATES
ISOLATED VALUES
METALS
MOLLUSCS
MONITORING
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHYSIOLOGY
POLLUTION
RESPIRATION
SEAWATER
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
VALVES
WATER
WATER POLLUTION