title: Differences in copper bioaccumulation and biological responses in three Mytilus species.
abstract: Mytilus species are important organisms in marine systems being highly abundant and widely distributed along the coast of Europe and worldwide. They are typically used in biological effects studies and have a suite of biological effects endpoints that are frequently measured and evaluated for stress effects in laboratory experiments and field monitoring programmes. Differences in bioaccumulation and biological responses of the three Mytilus species following exposure to copper (Cu) were investigated. A laboratory controlled exposure study was performed with three genetically confirmed Mytilus species; M. galloprovincialis, M. edulis and M. trossulus. Chemical bioaccumulation and biomarkers were assessed in all three Mytilus species following a 4 day and a 21 day exposure to waterborne copper concentrations (0, 10, 100 and 500μg/L). Differences in copper bioaccumulation were measured after both 4 and 21 days, which suggests some physiological differences between the species. Furthermore, differences in response for some of the biological effects endpoints were also found to occur following exposure. These differences were discussed in relation to either real physiological differences between the species or merely confounding factors relating to the species natural habitat and seasonal cycles. Overall the study demonstrated that differences in chemical bioaccumulation and biomarker responses between the Mytilus spp. occur with potential consequences for mussel exposure studies and biological effects monitoring programmes. Consequently, the study highlights the importance of identifying the correct species when using Mytilus in biological effects studies.
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Gaustadalléen 21, NO-0349 Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: sbr@niva.no.
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Gaustadalléen 21, NO-0349 Oslo, Norway; Norwegian Environment Agency, Strømsveien 96, 0663 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Eivind
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Farmen
authors.affiliation: Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Department of Environmental Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, N-1432 Aas, Norway; Norwegian Public Roads Administration, P.O. Box 1010, 2605 Lillehammer, Norway.
authors.forename: Lene Sørlie
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Heier
authors.affiliation: CBET Research Group, Research Centre of Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology (PiE-UPV/EHU) Basque Country, Spain.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Blanco-Rayón
authors.affiliation: CBET Research Group, Research Centre of Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology (PiE-UPV/EHU) Basque Country, Spain.
authors.forename: Urtzi
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Izagirre
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D003300:Copper / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity*; D049878:Mytilus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013045:Species Specificity; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D003300:Copper
keywords: Bioaccumulation; Biomarkers; Mussels; Mytilus edulis; Mytilus galloprovincialis; Mytilus trossulus