Effects of photoperiod and the duration of conditioning on gametogenesis and spawning of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck)

Abstract

The mussel industry in Europe is facing two major problems: scarcity in wild seed supply in some regions and loss of commercial quality during the spawning season in other areas. The solution to these problems could be seed production in hatcheries. In addition, seed production in hatcheries would also allow the production of triploid individuals, with consequent benefits for the producer. This requires broodstock conditioning, to obtain mussel seed outside the natural season. In this study, the effects of photoperiod and the duration of the conditioning period were examined on the gametogenesis and spawning of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck) in a hatchery. The results obtained indicate that the conditioning of this mussel is possible in a hatchery by supplying a sufficient amount of food and increasing the water temperature. It was shown that gametogenesis of conditioned mussels was dependent on the duration of the conditioning period. Spawning, besides being dependent on the duration of the conditioning period, also appears to be dependent on photoperiod, although these results are not clear enough. This supports the hypothesis that gametogenesis and spawning are regulated by different physiological mechanisms.

Effect of larval stocking density on growth, survival and whole body cortisol of the Mediterranean musselMytilus galloprovincialis(Lamarck, 1819) larvae reared under laboratory conditions

“…Methods for culturing bivalves in a hatchery are well established for oysters and clams (Utting & Spencer ; Helm & Bourne ). In mussels, specifically in Mytilus ; recent works have been published to improve broodstock conditioning (Pronker, Nevejan, Peene, Geijsen & Sorgeloos ; Domínguez, Villalba & Fuentes ) and larval culture (Galley, Batista, Braithwaite, King & Beaumont ; Sánchez‐Lazo & Martínez‐Pita ,b). However, there is not enough information to establish the best way of culture and only a few mussel hatcheries exist (e.g.…”

Reproduction of the endangered fan mussel Pinna nobilis under natural and captivity conditions

“…These circumstances make it necessary to find alternative solutions to obtain gametes and work on larval settlement as a key objective to close the life cycle in captivity. Temperature, food quality and quantity, and photoperiod are considered the main factors driving the conditioning of bivalves (Domínguez, Villalba & Fuentes, 2010; Sreedevi et al, 2014; Maneiro et al, 2016; Abbas et al, 2018). Breeding was achieved outside of the normal reproductive season, which would allow the periods through the year to be extended to try to obtain fan mussel larvae and work towards fine‐tuning hatchery methods.…”

The gametogenic cycle and spawning in Mytilus edulis in two fjords in north-western Iceland

“…The fastest gonad development was observed from March to May in both sites, as sea temperature started to increase and the spring phytoplankton bloom took place. Gametogenesis in mussels has been related to the duration of the conditioning period operating over a longer period of time (Domínguez et al, 2010), and annual differences in reproductive condition and fecundity have been related to differences in annual food supply (Thompson, 1979;Newell et al, 1982). Spawning has been considered timed such that both larvae and adults have access to abundant food supplies (Thompson, 1979;Newell et al, 1982), and direct coupling of mussel spawning with phytoplankton blooms has been observed elsewhere (Starr et al, 1991).…”