Polypoid growths of the foot, mantle, and pericardium have been found repeatedly in bivalve molluscs. These growths (reviewed by Pauley, 1969; Sparks, 1972) generally are composed of essentially normal tissues and have been variously interpreted. Forty-seven (15.7 percent) of 299 freshwater mussels, Anodonta californiensis, with foot lesions were collected by Gilbert B. Pauley from the Columbia...

Background: Anzali wetland has been subjected to high levels of pollution due to contamination from several industrial sites in addition to agricultural chemicals. Mussels have been widely used for monitoring pollution in aquatic ecosystems, because they, as filter feeders, bioaccumulate pollutants. Therefore we decided to evaluate Anodonta cygnea for its application as a bio-monitor for copp...

In the literature about the respiratory physiology of water-breathers, the arterial partial pressure of oxygen, P&o2, is reported to range from about 2 to 10-13 kPa (Shelton etal. 1986; McMahon and Wilkens, 1983). In fish, Shelton etal. (1986) reported that animals with low blood O2-affinity exhibit high P a ^ and vice versa. But in laboratory conditions, the excitation state of the animals may...

Freshwater mussels in California's rivers are potentially very useful as indicators of watershed health and recorders of watershed changes. We report the occurrence and habitat of mussel populations within a continuous 8-km section of the South Fork Eel River in the Northern Coast Range of California. The primary goals of our study were 1) to compile information on species composition and popul...

Freshwater mussels are important constituents of freshwater ecosystems, yet much of their basic biology remains to be examined. The behavior of 3 species of unionid mussels (Unio tumidus, Unio pictorum, and Anodonta anatina) was examined in the lowland River Spree (Germany). Mussels were marked individually, and their positions on the sediment surface and depth below the sediment surface were r...