MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Published January 25 Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. Genotypic and phenotypic differences between Baltic and North Sea populations of Mytilus edulis evaluated through reciprocal transplantations. I. Growth and morphology Nils ~autsky',Kerstin ~ohannesson~,Michael ~edengren' ' Asko Laboratory, Institute of Marine Ecology and Department of Zoology, University of Stockholm, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden * Tjarno Marine Biological Laboratory, PI. 2781, S-452 00 Stromstad, Sweden ABSTRACT: Growth rate and maximum size of Mytilus edulis is much lower in the Baltic Sea (7 %o S) than in the North Sea (28 %O S). Reciprocally transplanted mussels grew at rates similar to those of native mussels at each site, indicating that this variation can largely be explained by physiological differences due to environmental salinity Initial sunrival of Baltic mussels was very high after transfer to the ma.rin.e environment both in 1984 and 1986, but was followed by very high mortality in the follow~nglate summer In contrast immediate mortality was over 90 O/O among North Sea mussels transferred to the Baltic Sea with only some of the smallest mussels surviving. These, however, suffered no further excessive mortality. These different survival rates probably have mainly genetic causes. Genetic factors also seem to explain morphological differences, since these were to a large extent maintained even more than 1 yr after transplantation. Native North Sea mussels had 24 % larger volume and 9 % greater shell hei9h.t than transplanted Baltic mussels of the same length (48 mm), while shell width differed little. Total dry weight and shell weight were about 2 times larger in North Sea than in transplanted mussels, and weights of meat and posterior adductor muscle were 1.6 times and 3.3 times larger, respectively. However, in mussels of Baltic origin more biomass was allocated to meat (14.7 O/o of total dry wt) relative to shell and adductor muscle, than in North Sea mussels (11.2%). Predation experiments with Asterias rubens showed that Baltic mussels grown for 12 mo in the North Sea were more readily attacked and more easily opened than equal-sized North Sea mussels. We suggest that the lack of thck shells and large adductor muscles is caused by low predation pressure in the Baltic which does not select for such protective characters. Relatively more of the available energy instead seems to be allocated to reproduction. INTRODUCTION few true brackish water species have evolved - most species are of either marine or freshwater origin The blue mussel h.lytilus edrrlis is a high1.y variable (Remane & Schlieper 1971). The Baltic Sea is also species or a species complex (cf. Johannesson et al. species-poor and only about 100 invertebrate species 1990 - companion article), and populations frequently are found in the northern Baltic proper compared to differ in growth rate and size as well as in the morphol- some 2000 species on the Swedish Skagerrak coast (cf. ogy of shell and soft parts. A large part of this variation Jansson 1972). Some species like herring and certain may be a result of environmental factors such as tem- molluscs have dwarf forms in the Baltic Sea compared perature, salinity and food abundance (review in Seed to marine environments, and many marine species are 1976), although genetic differentiation in growth rate known to increase their depth distribution and/or feed- and morphological traits has been observed in several ing niches due to the reduced competiti.on (Remane & mussel populations (e.g. Koehn & Gaffney 1984, Mitton Schlieper 197 1). & Grant 1984, Diehl et al. 1985, Rodhouse et al. 1986). It is a well-documented fact that Mytilus edulis in the The Baltic Sea represents a very stable low-saline Baltic Sea have a much lower growth rate and reach a environment. It has existed for some 7000 yr and very maximum size of only about 1/3 that of North Sea O Inter-Research/Printed in F. R. Germany 204 hlar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. mussels (e.g. Remane 1934, 1971, Kautsky 1982a). with rope-cultured native North Sea n~usselsof the Other morphological characters such as thin and more same size, although no more than 2 to 3 mo old. All elongated shell, and a smaller posterior adductor mus- Baltic mussels survived this treatment. Growth rate cle, have also been reported for Baltic mussels (Remane (shell length) of transferred mussels was measured at & Schlieper 1971, Theisen 1978, 1982, Kautsky 1981, intervals and compared with reference mussels left in 1982a).Tedengren & Kautsky (1986j suggested that the the Baltic. All growth measurements were carried out low growth rate and small size of Baltic mussels are on subsamples of 40 mussels taken from the popula- mainly due to physiological adaptations to the low tions. salinity, while the thinner shell has been attributed to About 600 mussels from 1 to 40 mm in length (mean lower calcium content (Schlieper 1971) and tempera- 21 mm) from Tjarno in the North Sea were transferred ture (Remane 1971) in the Baltic, but as Schlieper to Asko in the Baltic at the end of September 1984. (1971) pointed out this could only be verified by During 2 wk of stepwise acclimatisation to the low long-term breeding experiments in artificially pre- salinity by lowering salinity about 2 L S per day pared brackish water of varying calcium content and through addition of brackish water to the aerated temperature. tanks, only 22 of the smallest mussels survived (range 1 Theisen (1982) found large variation in the size of to 4 mm; mean 2.0 0.2 mm, n = 22), and were put gills, labial palps, and posterior adductor muscle in out. samples from different parts of Danish waters. He sug- In July 1986 another batch of 40000 Baltic mussels gested that the differences in gill and palp size can be growing on ropes (age 12 mo; mean size 4.0 2 1.5 mm, explained by adaptations to waters of different turbid- n = 40) were transferred and suspended at the North ity, and that most of the variation in adductor muscle Sea site. Growth of a subsample was measured and size is related to differential predation by Asterias (cf. compared to rope-cultured native North Sea mussels of also Hancock 1965). However, since large genetic the same age but of a larger size (10.0 It_ 2.0 mm, n = differences had earlier been observed between the 40) and to reference mussels remaining in the Baltic populations (Theisen 1978), it was concluded by (4.0 f 1.5 mm, n = 40). Tentative growth curves Theisen (1982) that it remained to be ascertained between the measurements were calculated from re- whether these morphological differences are phenoty- gressions of daily length-specific growth rates estab- pic adaptations or whether they are related to genetic lished for the same locality in the Asko area by Kautsky differences between populations. (1982a) and calculated from data of Loo & Rosenberg Reciprocal transplantations could be one way to (1983) for a nearby locality in the Tlarno area. examine the extent to which population differences in Morphology. A number of morphological charac- growth and morphology may be environmentally teristics were assessed in the transfered Baltic mussels induced (non-genetic variation), or inherited (genetic and in the native North Sea mussels after 12 mo of variation). In this paper we compare growth rate and growth in the North Sea. A sample of 12 mussels was morphology in reciprocally transplanted mussels from randorniy selected from the population. Length, height Baltic and North Sea populations with that of their native and width were measured with calipers to the nearest populations. Enzyme variability and physiological 0.1 mm, and the displacement volume in water was differences between the 2 populations are discussed in determined for the whole mussel. Weight of shell, the Parts I1 and I11 of this series (Johannesson et al. 1990, posterior adductor muscle and of meat excluding the Tedengren et al. 1990). adductor nluscle were determined separately after dry- ing at 70°C. The CaC03 content of the shell was deter- mined by decalcification with diluted HC1 and subse- MATERIAL AND METHODS quent dry weight determination of the residues. Predation experiment. Susceptibility to predation by Reciprocal transplantations and growth compari- the asteroid Asterjas rubens was compared in the sons. About 10000 mussels (age 15 mo; mean size 20.0 laboratory between transplanted Baltic and native North f 1.2 mm (SE), n = 40), collected from ropes at 9 m Sea mussels. Ten l-yr-old mussels from the North Sea depth at Asko in the northern Baltic proper (58'4grN, population (mean length 35.2 + 1.0 mm) and 10 Baltic 19'39' E; G to 7 %O S),were transferred to Tjarno in the mussels of similar size transplanted to the North Sea North Sea (5B053'N, 11°09' E; 20 to 30% S) in Sep- 12 mo earlier (35.4 2 1.2 mm),were placed in each of ten tember 1984. Stepwise acclimatisation took place in 40 1 aquaria with running seawater. Two A, rubens of aerated 50 1 tanks by increasing salinity by about 4 %" similar size (42 to 48 g wet weight) were placed in each of per day over 1 wk in the laboratory by adding seawater 8 aquaria; the remaining 2 aquaria were used to estimate until a salinity level of 28% S was attained. The mus- non-predatory mortality The starfish were kept in the sels were then put into cages at 9 m depth, side by slde aquaria for 4 d without food to adapt to experimental Kautsky et al.: Baltic and North Sea Mytilus edulis. I.