EFFECT OF FLUCTUATING LOW-LEVEL CHLORINE CONCENTRATIONS ON VALVE-MOVEMENT BEHAVIOR OF THE ASIATIC CLAM (CORBICULA-FLUMINEA)

Asiatic clams (Corbicula fluminea) exposed to water from the upstream section of East Fork Poplar Creek (Oak Ridge, TN), a stream receiving chlorine-containing industrial discharges, were monitored for changes in valve movement patterns. Individual clams were attached to an automated valve-movement monitoring apparatus and suspended in flow-through tanks located streamside. Valve-closure behavior of two clams exposed to untreated water was compared to that of two clams exposed to dechlorinated water for two 18-d periods. Chlorine concentrations in untreated water exhibited a pronounced diurnal cycle, fluctuating between a mean daily minimum of 0.02 mg/L total residual chlorine (TRC) during the day and a mean daily maximum of 0.07 mg/L TRC at night during the second monitoring period. In over 2,300 fifteen-minute intervals, clams closed for 0.70 of the intervals while exposed to untreated water, but closed for only 0.22 of the intervals while exposed to dechlorinated water. Treatment differences in valve closure were tested by repeated-measures ANOVA. A significant treatment effect (p = 0.026) on valve closure was found in the first monitoring period. Graphical analysis of valve-closure records revealed diel cycles that differed between treatments. Clams in untreated water usually opened only near midday, when TRC concentrations were lowest. Clams in dechlorinated water opened more often, for longer periods, and appeared to respond to dawn and dusk changes in fight. The valve-closure behavior of clams in untreated water effectively minimized tissue exposure to waterborne TRC, presumably reducing toxic effects. Valve-closure monitoring in conjunction with other studies may help estimate the effect of tissue isolation on the toxicity or bioaccumulation of waterborne chemicals. Such estimates could improve prediction of toxicological or ecological consequences of stressful conditions on bivalves.