Variation in strength of attachment to the substrate explains differential mortality in hybrid mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialisandM. edulis) populations
✍ Scribed by G. L. Willis; D. O. F. Skibinski
- Book ID
- 104737938
- Publisher
- Springer-Verlag
- Year
- 1992
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 558 KB
- Volume
- 112
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0025-3162
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Mussel samples were collected from a hybrid mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis and M. edulis) population at Croyde, southwest England, in January, March and May 1990. The strength of attachment of each mussel to the substrate was measured with a spring balance. A number of diagnostic characters were also recorded. These are shell length, width and height, mantle colour and genotype at two allozyme loci, esterase-D and octopine dehydrogenase. Multiple-regression analysis was used to assess the effect of the diagnostic characters on strength of attachment as dependent variable. Mussels possessing the relatively high shells and darker mantle colouration characteristic of M. galloprovineialis had higher values, on average, for strength of attachment than mussels resembling M. edulis. Phenotypically intermediate mussels had intermediate values for strength of attachment. The results suggest an adaptive difference which can account for reports of differential mortality acting in favour of M. galloprovincialiis.