Genetic and morphologic variations in cultivated blue mussels (Mytilus edulis L.) in Two Scottish Sea Lochs

Genetic and morphologic variations in cultivated blue mussels (Mytilus edulis L.) in two Scottish Sea Lochs

Sedat Karayücel, Ismihan Karayücel

University of Ondokuz Mayıs, Faculty of Fisheries, 57 000 Sinop, TURKEY
Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA Scotland, UNITED KINGDOM

Abstract

Three years old raft cultivated mussels, Mytilus edulis L. were collected from commercial mussel raft systems, and the external and internal shell characteristics measured and electrophoresis technique was applied for Loch Etive (LE) and Loch Kishorn (LK) mussel populations on the west coast of Scotland. The external shell characteristics results showed that LE mussels had higher and wider shell length than LK mussels (P<0.05). The hinge plate: shell length, anterior adductor mussel scar: shell length (P<0.001) and posterior adductor muscle-ventral margin: shell length (P<0.05) ratios were higher in LE mussels than LK mussels. However the number of teeth on the hinge plate (P<0.001), ligament margin: shell length ratio were higher in LK mussels than LE mussels (P<0.05). In contrast, posterior adductor mussel scar: shell length and length of the byssal retractor muscle scar: shell length ratios were not significantly different between the lochs (P>0.05). Genetic identity was found as 0.69 and genetic distance 0.37 between LE and LK mussel populations.

Keywords: Mytilus edulis, genetic, morphological variations