Abstract

Mytilicola intestinalis inhabits the digestive tract of the commercially important European blue mussel Mytilus edulis. Early researchers believed that Mytilicola damaged the host by feeding directly upon the epithelial lining of the host intestine, whilst more recent work indicated that it does not seriously affect the host and feeds upon excess food (phytoplankton and detritus) which passes through the mussel intestine. Comparative analysis of the stable isotope 15N shows that it is 2.8 ppt higher in whole Mytilicola than in mussel intestine, suggesting that Mytilicola occupies a higher a trophic level than Mytilus and therefore is unlikely to use the same food source. Whilst the limitations and pitfalls of this method are recognised and discussed, it is concluded from these observations (and from evidence provided by other techniques) that Mytilicola utilizes mussel breakdown products such as mucus and sloughed-off cells as its major food source and thus feeds indirectly upon the host.

Publication Date

1991-01-01

Publication Title

Bulletin of the Plankton Society of Japan

Issue

Special Issue: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Copepoda

Publisher

Plankton Society of Japan/Nihon Purankuton Gakkai

ISSN

0387-8961

Embargo Period

2024-11-22

Keywords

Parasite, trophic level, copepod, mussel, Mytilicola intestinalis, Nitrogen 15 isotope

First Page

363

Last Page

371

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