DOI

In the White Sea, the blue mussel Mytilus edulis occupies a wide range of biotopes and is associated with numerous symbiotic organisms. At some sites, mussel cover spreads continuously from the intertidal to the subtidal zone. We checked whether the patterns of infection by different associated organisms differed among the upper subtidal, zero-depth and lower intertidal zones at 3 sites in the Kandalaksha Gulf and the Onega Bay of the White Sea. Organisms belonging to 13 taxa were found in mantle cavities and tissues of blue mussels. Parasitic green algae, a sporocyst and metacercariae of 5 species of digenean trematodes occupied mussel tissues; commensal ciliates, rhabdocoelans and some free-living invertebrates were found in mantle cavities. Quantitative composition of symbiotic communities of mussels was not the same at different tidal levels: Urastoma cyprinae (commensal rhabdocoelans) were more abundant in the subtidal and zero-depth zones, while encysted metacercariae of Renicola roscovita and Himasthla sp. were more abundant at the zero-depth and intertidal zones. We suggested several hypotheses to explain this heterogeneity.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)131-144
Number of pages14
JournalDiseases of Aquatic Organisms
Volume130
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 10 Sep 2018

    Research areas

  • Mytilus edulis, Symbionts, Vertical distribution, Blue mussel, Digenea, Urastoma cyprinae, SNAIL INTERMEDIATE HOSTS, MYTILUS-EDULIS, SPATIAL HETEROGENEITY, INTERTIDAL GASTROPODS, TREMATODE LARVAE, WEST-COAST, PARASITE, INFECTION, POLLUTION, GALLOPROVINCIALIS

ID: 35203465