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Ingestion and assimilation of carbon from cellulolytic bacteria and heterotrophic flagellates by the mussels Geukensia demissa and Mytilus edulis (Bivalvia, Mollusca)
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Ingestion and assimilation of carbon from cellulolytic bacteria and heterotrophic flagellates by the mussels Geukensia demissa and Mytilus edulis (Bivalvia, Mollusca)

D A Kreeger and RIE Newell
Aquatic microbial ecology : international journal, v 11(3)
01 Dec 1996
url
https://doi.org/10.3354/ame011205View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)Maybe Open Access (Publisher Bronze) Open

Abstract

Bivalvia Brackish Geukensia demissa Marine Mytilus edulis
We super(14)C-labeled cellulolytic bacteria and 3 species of bacterivorous nanoflagellates and fed these cultured organisms to 2 species of intertidal mussels, Geukensia demissa and Mytilus edulis, using a pulse-chase experimental design under controlled laboratory conditions. Ingestion and assimilation of C from these microheterotrophs by mussels were calculated from measured rates of defecation, respiration, excretion, and tissue incorporation. The proportion of available C ingested by G. demissa did not differ significantly among bacteria (39%), heterotrophic flagellates (58%), or the unicellular algae Isochrysis galbana (66%), which was used as a reference diet. In contrast, M. edulis ingested a significantly lower proportion (19%) of the small bacteria (<1 mu m in diameter) than the larger (3 to 5 mu m diameter) heterotrophic flagellates (58%). The efficiency with which G. demissa assimilated C from I. galbana (77%) was significantly greater than that from either bacteria (42%) or heterotrophic flagellates (44%). M. edulis assimilated bacterial C with significantly lower efficiency (21%) than C from heterotrophic flagellates (62%). These results indicate that heterotrophic flagellates can contribute to the C requirements of both G. demissa and M. edulis; however, only G. demissa is capable of assimilating a considerable amount of C from bacteria.

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Web of Science research areas
Ecology
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Microbiology
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