Vestnik MGTU (Jun 2019)
Ecological and biochemical monitoring of some intertidal mussel Mytilus edulis L. settlements in Kandalaksha Nature Reserve
Abstract
Mussels Mytilus edulis L. living on the littoral are traditional objects for monitoring the state of coastal ecosystems. In the process of ecological and biochemical studies of some littoral settlements of these mussels in the Kandalaksha Nature Reserve, some modifications have been identified in the structure of local populations, and biochemical markers have also been searched at the level of lipid composition reflecting the chronic action of environmental factors. Investigations of the size and age structure of some intertidal settlements of the Mytilus edulis L. have shown inter-annual dynamics reflecting the natural processes associated with the regime of replenishment by juveniles and the elimination of generations. The revealed significant differences in the density and biomass of Mytilus edulis L. settlements probably reflect the influence of anthropogenic load on their livelihoods (first of all, prolonged discharge of fresh water from the hydroelectric station system). The composition of lipids and fatty acids in the gills of littoral mussels has been determined using thin-layer, gas-liquid and high-performance liquid chromatography methods. Evaluation of the lipid status of mussel gills inhabiting biotopes with different hydrodynamic regimes and anthropogenic load (the pollution level, fresh water discharge) has shown inter-annual dynamics in the content of lipids and their fatty acids. At the same time, there are significant differences in the content of membrane and storage lipids in the mussel gills exposed to fresh water on the littoral zone of Biotope 1. Prolonged ecological and biochemical monitoring studies of coastal mussel settlements reveal the characteristic features of their size and age structure, density and biomass, as well as the lipid status of the gills of mollusks formed under conditions of long-term environmental factors
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