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Cold Temperature Effects On Byssal Thread Production By The Native Mussel Geukensia Demissa Versus The Non-Native Mussel Mytella Charruana, Sasha Brodsky

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Mytella charruana is a Central/South American mussel that has been found as an introduced species along the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States since 2004. Previous experiments have determined the lethal thermal minimum of M. charruana to be between 6-9° C. Continuous byssal thread production is essential for mussel survival as it is used for attachment to substrates in natural environments, but may decrease when environmental conditions deviate from their optimum. We sought to determine whether M. charruana exhibits a non-lethal, thermal response involving a reduction in byssal thread production. Mytella charruana and, for comparison, a native mussel species, …