Article
Temperature and salinity tolerances of embryos and larvae of the deep-sea mytilid mussel “Bathymodiolus” childressi
Marine Biology
(2009)
Abstract
We examined temperature and salinity tolerances of early embryonic and larval stages of the deep-sea, cold-seep mussel “Bathymodiolus” childressi to determine whether they may control the dispersal depth of larvae. Salinity and temperature tolerances increased with developmental stage, but tolerance ranges were not as wide for the larvae of “B.” childressi as for the larvae of the related shallow-water mussel Mytilus trossulus. Normal development occurred in “B.” childressi from 7 to 15°C and at salinities of 35 and 45. Greater tolerance of “B.” childressiembryos to high than low salinities may aid development of negatively buoyant early embryos at brine seeps. Although there was a decreasing trend in survival of “B.” childressi larvae with increasing temperature, survival of “B.” childressi trochophores was not significantly different at 20°C than at the adults’ ambient temperature. Since larvae tolerate increasing temperatures as they age and seawater temperatures at 100 m depth do not exceed 20°C in months following the mussels’ spawning season, we suggest that temperature would not limit vertical migration of the veliger larvae of “B.” childressi into even the uppermost layer of the water column above the cold seeps in the Gulf of Mexico.
Keywords
- Salinity tolerance,
- Hydrothermal vent,
- Blue Mussel,
- Cold seep,
- Physiological tolerance
Disciplines
Publication Date
November, 2009
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-011-1749-9
Citation Information
Arellano, S.M. & Young, C.M. Mar Biol (2011) 158: 2481. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-011-1749-9