Patterns of Lure Display and Associated Behaviors in Lampsilis cardium
Mentor 1
Todd Levine
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
24-4-2015 10:30 AM
End Date
24-4-2015 11:45 AM
Description
A prominent aspect of unionid mussel life histories is their obligate parasitic phase, during which they attach to various fishes. Some mussels produce elaborate lures that presumably increase infestation success on hosts. We observed the behaviors associated with mantle lure display in a population of Lampsilis cardium near Mukwonago, WI. We made 764 observations of 40 mussels on 9 days during summer 2014. We created categorical descriptions of lure display, which ranged from 0 (no display, closed valves) to 5 (fully open valves with an active display). Overall mean lure rank was 2.11, with the highest lure display ranks in the morning (6 am) and evening (6 pm) with a longer display period in the evening. Preliminary analysis of burrowing data suggest that mussels do not necessarily move up in the substrate during display periods. Few data have been collected to describe diel lure display cycles, though this is likely to be an important in determining infestation success.
Patterns of Lure Display and Associated Behaviors in Lampsilis cardium
Union Wisconsin Room
A prominent aspect of unionid mussel life histories is their obligate parasitic phase, during which they attach to various fishes. Some mussels produce elaborate lures that presumably increase infestation success on hosts. We observed the behaviors associated with mantle lure display in a population of Lampsilis cardium near Mukwonago, WI. We made 764 observations of 40 mussels on 9 days during summer 2014. We created categorical descriptions of lure display, which ranged from 0 (no display, closed valves) to 5 (fully open valves with an active display). Overall mean lure rank was 2.11, with the highest lure display ranks in the morning (6 am) and evening (6 pm) with a longer display period in the evening. Preliminary analysis of burrowing data suggest that mussels do not necessarily move up in the substrate during display periods. Few data have been collected to describe diel lure display cycles, though this is likely to be an important in determining infestation success.
