Does mussel nutritional status act as a confounding factor on biomarkers responses to pollution?

Large spatial scale mussel monitoring programs are characterized by a great variability of environmental conditions which cause important differences in animal physiology [1][2] . One of the main differences encountered is the trophic condition which is highly variable when different habitats are monitored. Mussels, such as Mytilus galloprovincialis, are extensively used as sentinel species for pollution in marine coastal monitoring programs. From such studies, it has been stated that biological responses caused by pollutants seem to be masked by biological variables as mussel condition.