title: Impacts of microcystins on the feeding behaviour and energy balance of zebra mussels, Dreissena polymorpha: a bioenergetics approach.
abstract: Microcystins are produced by bloom-forming cyanobacteria and pose significant health and ecological problems. To investigate the impacts of these biotoxins on the physiology of the zebra mussels, Dreissena polymorpha, a series of short-term feeding experiments were conducted in the laboratory. We used five microalgal diets consisting of single-cell suspensions of the green algae, Chlorella vulgaris, the diatom, Asterionella formosa, the cryptophyte, Cryptomonas sp. and two strains of the toxic cyanobacterium, Microcystis aeruginosa (strains CCAP 1450/06 and CCAP 1450/10). A sixth diet was a mixture of the diatom and the CCAP 1450/10 cyanobacterial strain. The low-toxicity strain CCAP 1450/06 contained 7.4 microg l(-1) of the MC-LR variant while the very toxic strain CCAP 1450/10 contained 23.8 microg l(-1) of MC-LR and 82.9 microg l(-1) of MC-LF. A flow-through system was designed to measure the following feeding parameters: clearance, filtration, ingestion and absorption rates. Ultimately the scope for growth (SFG) was determined as a net energy balance. We observed that mussels cleared the cyanobacterial species containing MC-LF (mean+/-95% confidence interval) at a significant lower rate (498+/-82 ml h(-1) g(-1) for the single cell suspension and 663+/-100 ml h(-1) g(-1) for the mixture diet) than all of the non-toxic species and the cyanobacterium containing MC-LR (all above 1l h(-1) g(-1)). The same pattern was observed with all the feeding parameters, particularly absorption rates. Furthermore, MC-LF caused an acute irritant response manifested by the production of 'pseudodiarrhoea', unusually fluid pseudofaeces, rich in mucus and MC-LF-producing Microcystis cells, ejected through the pedal gape of the mussels. This overall response therefore demonstrates selective rejection of MC-LF-producing cyanobacteria by zebra mussels, enhancing the presence of the very toxic MC-LF-producing M. aeruginosa in mixed cyanobacterial blooms and in the benthos. Finally, we observed that the SFG (mean+/-95% confidence interval) of mussels feeding on M. aeruginosa containing MC-LF was significantly lower (34.0+/-18.8 J h(-1) g(-1) for the single cell suspension and 83.1+/-53.0 J h(-1) g(-1) for the mixture diet) than for mussels ingesting non-toxic diets, except for C. vulgaris (all above 200 J h(-1)g(-1)). This reveals a sublethal, stressful effect of microcystins (particularly MC-LF) on the feeding behaviour and energy balance of the zebra mussel.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Ecology & Plant Science, and Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland. g.juhel@mars.ucc.ie
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Juhel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Davenport
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: O'Halloran
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Culloty
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: O'Riordan
authors.forename: K F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: James
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Furey
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Allis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D049875:Dreissena / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D052998:Microcystins / Q000633:toxicity*; D046931:Microcystis / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size
chemical_list: D052998:Microcystins