AQUA 2024

August 26 - 30, 2024

Copenhagen, Denmark

INVESTIGATING THE RESPONSE OF NORWEGIAN BLUE MUSSELS Mytilus spp. TO THERMAL STRESS

Shelby Clarke* , Antoino Agüera, Cathinka Krogness, Helen Rastrick , Samuel Rastrick , Øivind Strand , Tore Strohmeier, and Ramón Filgueira

 

Dalhousie University , 1355 Oxford St, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, B3H 4R2

Shelby.clarke@dal.ca

 



 As the sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic Ocean  continue to rise , it will be imperative to understand how increased  temperature will affect ectothermic organisms such as  Mytilus spp . Innerpollen , Norway is a shallow, pond-like inlet with  limited  water exchange with the open ocean during summer months, exposing wild mussels to high water temperatures (19.9 ± 1.8°C , 13.1-26.7°C July-August) . Approximately 11 km southwest of Innerpollen lies  the IMR  research station on the island of Austevollmussels are exposed to comparatively cooler water temperatures (15.0 ± 0.9° C, 11.0-20.0°C July-August) . Mussels were collected from these sites with the objective of comparing the thermal biology of animals originating from distinct thermal environments.  Mussels were  held under four temperatures ( 15,  20, 25,  and 30°C)  and their thermal biology was characterized using: (1)  median  lethal time (LT50), (2) valve gaping behaviours , (3 ) respiration, and (4 ) feeding rates, where physiological rates were measured  after  a 7-day exposure to the target temperature. Differential physiological and behavioural responses between mussel sources suggest that individuals from Innerpollen  outperform those from Austevoll at 25° C and above , as exhibit ed by  increased survival. This study highlights the potential for mussels from distinct thermal environments within a close geographic range to have diverse responses to future climatic scenarios , which could  provide insight to how the  distribution or abundance of mussels may be affected by increasing temperatures due to differences in survival between sources. Results could have important ecological implications  for Norwegian waters and  can assist in identifying traits associated with thermal tolerance, which could have applications to selective breeding programs for  mussel aquaculture within Europe.