Mytilus Californianus the California Mussel
Mytilus Californianus, also known as the California mussel, is one of the most common creatures on California's rocky shores and in tide pools. They are generally grayish black in color and have very hard shells that only the strongest (or smartest) of predators can open. These mussels attach themselves to rocks very tightly. From time to time they sneak their foot out and touch the rocks, secreting a special thread of cement. After doing this several times, these threads of cement hold the mussel to the rock, sometimes permanently.
Once a mussel has found a home, it opens little valves on it's sides slightly to let in seawater and food particles. Much like a fish, it filters the food from the water by using it's gills. Mussels like to eat mostly fine organic material and plankton. When a large group of mussels get together they can take in about 35 tons of food in a year.
Colonies of mussels are often hurt badly by big waves on the open coast. Seastars often eat mussels and pry some of them off of rocks. Holes in these colonies can cause the waves to break more of them off the rocks, much like soil erosion when trees are cut down. A rock face that has been completely cleared of mussels takes about 2.5 years to be repopulated.
Taxonomy and Description
Mytilus Californianus, also known as the ribbed mussel, C alifornia sea mussel, rock mussel, and big mussel are classified as belonging to the Phylum Mollusca, Class Bivalvia, Subclass Pteriomorphia, Order Filibrancha, Suborder Mytilacea, and Family Mytilidae. The genus Mytildae, of which California mussels are a part .
M. Californianus is a bivalue mollusk which has a generally triangular and inequilateral shell. It can be...
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...ed by pollution and Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP). No mussels can be sold for human consumption from May 1st to October 31st because of the presence of PSP. The consumption of the mussels that have been concentrated large amounts of poison- producing microscopic Dinoflagellate Gonyaulax Catenella sometimes causes serious illness.
In my observations at Royal Palms, Mytilus Californianus seemed to flourish most on wave-swept rocks along the shore. There were however, many M. Californianus' shells where they may once populated or washed up on during a higher tide, but eventually dried out due to the lack of organisms they usually feed on. Since they feed on a variety of organisms and on the detritus of plants and animals. Colonies of mussels are most abundant on rocks closer to the water where the population of these organisms on which they feed on are dense.
This research focuses on Gambierdiscus toxicus which is an armored, marine, benthic species in the phylum Dinoflagellata. It has an epitheca and a hypotheca, that is very similar in size, compressed anterio-posteriorly. The theca is covered with numerous deep and dense pores which are very thick. This species is autotrophic creating energy via several golden-brown chloroplasts (Hackett et al 2004), but is also heterotrophic and hence is referred to as mixotrophic. It has a ventrally – oriented crescent shaped nucleus. (Adachi & Fukuyo 1979). It usually inhabits warmer waters such as bay, mediterranian, tropical/sub – tropical in North/Central America (Shiumuzu et al 1982; Loeblich & Indelicato 1986), Asia/Pacific (Holmes & Tao 2002; Lu & Hodgkiss 2004) and has recently been identified in the Mediterranean (Aligizaki & Nikolaidis 2008). These authors identified the organisms to genus level, at best of their effort, so may have been one of the less common members of its genus although it is unlikely.
The Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha), is a small freshwater mollusk that is an invasive species. It has slowly been making its way into the United States. It has done this by showing up in lakes and in rivers. The mussels get their name due to the striped pattern on their shells. They are a relatively small species, only growing to the size of a human finger nail but there have been cases of larger (“Zebra Mussels,” 2013, para. 2). Mussels live a short life span of 4-5 years and most do not make into adulthood. They live in freshwater at depths of 6 to 24 feet. The female produces 30,000 to 1,000,000 eggs per year starting at the age of two. Zebra Mussels are free moving and can move with an external organ called the byssus (“Zebra Mussels,” 2013, para. 3). But they can be moved around by currents and other objects too. Zebra Mussels are a threat to ecosystems. They damage the natural habitat of lakes and rivers and cause negative effects to the native aquatic life. They multiply in vast majority casing a lake of food and space for other animals. And also the U.S. has spent millions on the removal of these pests from our water (“Zebra Mussels,” 2014, para. 8). The Zebra Mussel has now made its way into Colorado. Just a few has been found in the waters of Colorado but a few is enough to cause a big stir. Extreme precautions have now been put into effect to make sure that the threat of Zebra Mussels is under control.
Because of its size and abundance, T. californicus is commonly regarded as the insect of the sea. This creature is generally very small, from 1-3 mm in size as adults. They are cylindrically shaped, and have a segmented body (head, thorax, abdomen) though no noticeable division between body regions (Powlik 1966). Each segment of the body has a pair of legs. They use their 'legs' to propel themselves through the water in short rapid jerks. They have 2 pairs of long feathered antennae, a chitin us exoskeleton and a single eye in the middle of their head, this simple eye can only differentiate between light and dark.
The zebra mussel is a small freshwater mussel, this species was originally native to the lakes of southern Russia. From their first appearance in American waters in 1988, zebra mussels have spread to a large number of waterways, including Lake Simcoe in the Great Lakes region and the Mississippi, Cumberland, Ohio, Tennessee, Michigan, Colorado, and Arkansas Rivers. Unfortunately, the invasion of the Zebra Mussel continues. For instance, in 2009 the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation confirmed that zebra mussels had been found in Laurel Lake in the Berkshires. That same year the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced that live zebra mussels have been found in Pelican Lake, Minnesota. This was the first confirmed sighting in the Red River Basin, which extends across the international border into the province of Manitoba. In July, 2010, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department confirmed the presence of zebra mussel in the Red River. As recently as 2010 California similarly reported invasions. In 2011 an invasion of the mussels has resulted in reduced water supplies during a drought year, worsening water restrictions across the Dallas area. However, it has been accidentally introduced in many other areas, and has become an invasive species in many different countries worldwide.
...zebra mussel’s optimal temperature can effect their reproductive cycle. When the temperature of the water reaches about 13°C, the zebra mussels being their reproduction in Lake Erie. The eggs get fertilized when both the eggs and the sperm are released into the water, which then, develop into free-floating larvae called veligers. The larvae are carried by water currents, which allows them to expand their distribution. For about 10-15 days, the larvae are in the planktonic stage. After this stage, the veligers seek for a place of attachment and attach by using elastic fibers known as byssal threads. The point where mussels start to form their shells is known as the settling phase. If the temperature of the water is heated beyond their optimal temperature, then the zebra mussels will be under anaerobic conditions and will be halted from their process of reproduction.
One of the Bays biggest resources is its oysters. Oysters are filter feeders which mean they feed on agley and clean the water. The oysters feed on agley and other pollutants in the bay turning them into food, then they condense the food down to nutrients and sometimes developed pearls. Filtering the water helps the oysters to grow, and also helps clean the Chesapeake Bay. One oyster can filter 50 gallons of water a day, Oysters used to be able to filter the Bay in about a week. However, these creatures are now scarce in the bay. The Chesapeake Bays Oyster (crassostrea virginica) Population has declined severely because of over harvesting, agricultural runoff, and disease. Now the Chesapeake Bay is becoming polluted without the oysters and the water is not nearly as clean as it once was. The Chesapeake Bay was the first estuary in the nation to be targeted for restoration as an integrated watershed and ecosystem. (Chesapeake Bay Program n/d). This report will show the cause and effect of the Chesapeake Bay's Oyster decline on the Bay.
Picture this: you're having a nice weekend at the lake with your family, fishing, swimming, and having an all-around great time. But then you notice that your boat isn't running as well as it should, especially considering you just cleaned it and made sure everything was in perfect condition before leaving your house. Puzzled, you take your boat out of the water to notice that the hull and motor is covered in tiny clam-like creatures, making your pristine white boat look like something that was just drug out of the bottom of the lake. What are these animals that ruined your weekend of fun? They are zebra mussels, and are found in lakes, rivers, and other bodies of freshwater across the U.S. Normally found in Eastern Europe, the first group of this invasive species hitched a ride in the ballast tanks of ocean liners in the 1980s, and quickly spread. Regulations are in place to stop the spread, but removing them from places that have already been infested is tricky. Today we will talk about the damages zebra mussels cause, how this problem is managed, and what you can do to help.
They also look after the quality of coastal waters by watering down, sifting, and settling deposits, left-over nutrients and contaminants. They are highly productive ecosystems and provide habitats and act as nurseries for all manner of life.
One of the Bays biggest resources is its oysters. Oysters are filter feeders which mean they feed on agley and clean the water. The oysters feed on agley and other pollutants in the bay turning them into food for them, then they condense the food down to nutrient and developed things like pearls.Filtering the water also helps the oyster to grow. One oyster can filter 50 gallons of water a day, Oysters used to be able to filter the Bay in about a week. However these creatures are now scarce in the bay. The Chesapeake Bays Oyster (crassostrea virginica) Population has declined severely because of over harvesting, agricultural runoff, and disease. Now the Chesapeake Bay is becoming polluted without the oysters and the water is not nearly as clean as it once was. The Chesapeake Bay was the first estuary in the nation to be targeted for restoration as an integrated watershed and ecosystem. (Chesapeake Bay Program n/d). This report will show the cause and effect of the Chesapeake Bay's Oyster decline on the Bay.
of Cape Cod, but has been recorded in Maine and Nova Scotia. The blue crab
At the end of the 200 week period, the green crabs had greatly disrupted the intertidal community. The community supported about ten different species before the green crab was introduced, all which appeared to be at relatively stable population sizes. At the end of the 200 weeks, only four of the original species remained. Apart from the acorn barnacle that had a population size of four at the end of the observation, the other three
The salt marsh is also an important breeding ground for many species of marine life. These animals use the marsh and its tall grasses for protection from predators. Some of the marine life is: clams, mussels, shrimp, oysters and small fishes such as killies and spearing. Some mammals use the salt marsh also. These animals include: mice, skunks and many, many species of water fowl. These animals use the marsh not only as a home, but as a place to find food as well.
to the lobster and crab. Their closest living relative today is the horseshoe crab.The name
Natural has its own world in St. Martin. The island is about two kilometres long and the deep blue water all around it is outstanding to watch. Rocks of different sizes and types are all around the beach, some of which are with razor sharp spikes that can cut your foot into pieces if you step on them. Moreover, different coloured sea weeds and live corals can be seen on the rocks which are submerged in the water. St. Martin is the only Island in the world with live corals. There are more than thousands of different types of coral in this island. Scientists say that this island actually grew from this coral by the metamorphosis of different c...