pacific blue mussel (mytilus trossulus)
The pacific blue mussel is found in the burrard inlet and the inter-tidal zone. this incredible filter feeder can filter out 5 litres of water per hour! 100,000 mussels can fit in 1 square meter. Imagine how much of a important food source they are.
Description:
Location:
northern pacific ocean, from california to alaska
Details:
Description:
- blue-black colour
- occasionally brown form
- interior luscious, pearly
- bivalve mollusk
- smooth shell
- tough byssal threads
Location:
northern pacific ocean, from california to alaska
Details:
- filter feeder
- lifespan: 1-2 years
- species of bivalve, marine mollusc, in the family of Mytilidae
- eats wide range of planktotrophic species
- Predators: sea stars (mottled star, purple star, sunflower star), sea anemones, snails (dogwinkles), crabs (red rock crab, dungeness, black clawed), fishes (surfperches), diving ducks (bufflehead scoters,goldeneyes, harlequin), northwestern crow, gulls (mew, glaucous winged), shorebirds (black oystercatcher), sea otter, mink, humans
What are the effects to the environment if the pacific blue mussel is lost?
- Predators of the mussels won’t be able to survive (sea stars (mottled star, purple star, sunflower star), sea anemones, snails (dogwinkles), crabs (red rock crab, dungeness, black clawed), fishes (surfperches), diving ducks (bufflehead scoters,goldeneyes, harlequin), northwestern crow, gulls (mew, glaucous winged), shorebirds (black oystercatcher), sea otter, mink, humans)
- The water will not be as clean, because the mussels are not there to filter the water and take out toxins, eat algae, etc
- Without clean water, fish will have less oxygen and begin to die.
- A valuable human food source will be lost.
- Shells from broken mussels provide sand and grit to the shoreline, this will be lost.