Skip Navigation


Journal Molluscan Studies Advance Access originally published online on January 28, 2009
Journal of Molluscan Studies 2009 75(2):119-126; doi:10.1093/mollus/eyn046
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
75/2/119    most recent
eyn046v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Kobak, J.
Right arrow Articles by Kakareko, T.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Kobak, J.
Right arrow Articles by Kakareko, T.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Malacological Society of London, all rights reserved

Effect of attachment status and aggregation on the behaviour of the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha

Jaroslaw Kobak1, Malgorzata Poznanska1 and Tomasz Kakareko2

1Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Institute of General and Molecular Biology, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Gagarina 9, 87-100 Torun, Poland; and 2Department of Hydrobiology, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Protection, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Gagarina 9, 87-100 Torun, Poland

Correspondence: J. Kobak; e-mail: jkob{at}biol.uni.torun.pl


  Abstract

The zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha lives attached to a hard substratum, often in dense aggregations. It can thus be expected that both its attachment status and conspecifics may greatly affect its responses to various environmental stimuli. We studied whether the attachment status influenced mussel relocation frequency and responses to light and gravity in laboratory conditions. We also tested the impact of conspecifics upon mussel attachment strength and relocation frequency. Small (<10 mm) and large (>10 mm) mussels attached for 1 or 6 days relocated from their initial positions less frequently than unattached individuals. Large mussels crawled less often than small individuals, but neither attachment status nor size modified their responses to light: illuminated (100 lx) mussels always moved towards dark areas and changed their initial sites less often than those kept in darkness. On a slope inclined at 8°, unattached small mussels preferred upward movement in darkness whereas large mussels moved similarly in both directions and were less mobile than small individuals. The behaviour of mussels attached for 6 days was reversed: negative geotaxis disappeared in small mussels, while large mussels preferred to crawl upwards and moved more often than small individuals. Aggregated mussels of both size groups were more strongly attached to the substratum and stayed at their initial sites more often than singletons. Our study shows that attachment status and conspecifics can modify responses of zebra mussels to environmental stimuli and should be taken into account in behavioural studies on this species.

(Received 5 September 2008; accepted 4 December 2008)


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.