The effect of temperature and body size on filtration rates of Limnoperna fortunei (Bivalvia, Mytilidae) under laboratory conditions

Abstract

The golden mussel (Limnoperna fortunei, Mollusca: Bivalvia) is an invasive species that has been causing considerable environmental and economic problems in South America. In the present study, filtration rates of L. fortunei were determined in the laboratory under different temperatures (10, 15, 20, 25, 28, and 30 ºC) and two types of food (Algamac-2000® and the chlorophycean alga Scenedesmus sp.). There was a statistically significant relationship between time and filtration rates in the experiment using Scenedesmus sp., regardless of temperature. However, this pattern was absent in the experiment using Algamac, suggesting that the relationship between filtration rates and temperature might depend on the size of the filtered particles. In addition, there was no correlation between filtration rates and either shell size or condition index (the relationship between the weight and the length of a mussel). The filtration rate measured in the present study (724.94 ml/h) was one of the highest rates recorded among invasive bivalves to date. Given that the colonies of the golden mussel could reach hundreds of thousands of individuals per square meter, such filtration levels could severely impact the freshwater environments in its introduced range.