Energetic homeostasis in Mytilus edulis: feedback between feeding activity and digestive processes

Bivalves (e.g. mussels, oysters, and scallops) are valued for both their economic and ecological importance. As filter-feeders, bivalves remove suspended matter (e.g. phytoplankton) from their environment to ingest. There is potential that filter-feeders change their feeding activity based on their digestive processes. This feedback between feeding and digestion would be an important link to help bivalves maintain constant energy uptake, despite changes in food availability. This project will explore feeding-digestive feedbacks in the blue mussel, a species widely grown for aquaculture production. Data will be collected using natural water and wild populations of mussels. Information from this project is important to understand both how bivalves acquire energy for growth and reproduction, and also for understanding how bivalves interact with the marine environment.

Faculty Supervisor:

Ramon Filgueira

Student:

Partner:

University of Bergen

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Aquaculture and Fishing; Sustainability & the Environment; Life Sciences (not health)

University:

Dalhousie University

Program: