PHYSIOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE AND GENERAL HISTOLOGY OF THE BLUE MUSSEL, MYTILUS-EDULIS-L, FROM THE BALTIC AND NORTH SEAS

A physiological approach has been proposed for studying the ecological consequences of diseases and parasitism in bivalve molluscs. We investigated effects of some naturally occurring non-lethal parasites and histological changes in the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis L., on some commonly used bivalve condition indices, viz the oxygen:nitrogen ratio, the scope for growth and the body condition index. We found no correlation between these physiological condition indices, which implies that an individual can be classified as in 'good condition' according to e.g. the O:N ratio and the body condition index, while at the same time this mussel may have a low scope for growth indicating a stressed status. This is probably because the O:N ratio, the scope for growth and the body condition index integrate metabolic processes over different periods of time. No general deleterious effects on these condition indices could be detected either due to parasitic infestation or general histological changes. Hence, it was not possible to translate detrimental effects of histological conditions directly into energy equivalents.