Effects of atrazine on the viability and the formation of byssus of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis
2011
Karagiannis, Dimitrios | Vatsos, Ioannis N. | Angelidis, Panagiotis
Shellfish farming often takes place in areas subjected to various recurring pollutions. The intensive use of herbicides in agriculture leads to the presence of residues in the aquatic ecosystems. In the present study, the effects of atrazine on the viability of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis and the formation of their byssus were studied. A total of 720 mussels (mean length 24 mm ± 2.1 SD) were divided into six groups. The mussels from the first five groups were exposed to five concentrations of atrazine, 10, 8, 5, 2 and 1 ppm, while one group was used as control. The LC₅₀ was calculated after 48 h, while the long-term effect of atrazine on the viability and byssus formation of the mussels were studied for 21 days. The LC₅₀ was found to be 6.33 ppm. From all the concentrations of atrazine to which the mussels were exposed, only in two of them (2 and 1 ppm) some mussels survived up to the last day of the experiment. The survival rate in the control group was significantly higher than those of mussels that were exposed to atrazine. Regarding the byssus formation, the number of byssal threads was significant lower in the mussels that were exposed to 2 and 1 ppm atrazine compared to the control group, while no byssal threads were formed by the mussels exposed to 10, 8 and 5 ppm. All the mussels that survived on day 21 were then exposed to air. The LT₅₀ for the control group and the mussels which had been exposed to 1 and 2 ppm atrazine were 5.14, 2.77 and 1.98 days, respectively. The results of the present study indicate that atrazine has a significant effect on the viability of mussels both in the water and in air and on their ability to form byssus.
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