Journal of Experimental Biology· 2026Q1
MeGaH: a novel system for concurrent measurement of metabolic rate, valve gape and heart rate in aquatic bivalves, and its application in assessing mussel responses to environmental change
- 1citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
A new system, MeGaH, concurrently measures metabolic rate, valve gape, and heart rate in aquatic bivalves, revealing that analyzing data separately for open vs. closed mussels under temperature stress yields different results than analyzing all data together.
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Key points
- The MeGaH system enables concurrent measurement of metabolic rate, valve gape, and heart rate in aquatic bivalves.
- Mussels exposed to increased temperature showed different physiological responses depending on whether all data or only data from open/closed periods were analyzed.
- Measuring valve gape alongside metabolic and/or heart rate provides crucial context for physiological status.
- Integrated measurements can reveal responses not observable when individual parameters are analyzed independently.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Aquatic bivalves provide valuable ecosystem services and include blue mussels (Mytilus spp.), which are used as a model system for exploring speciation, hybridisation, range expansion and physiology. Here, we present a novel system (MeGaH) for the concurrent monitoring of metabolic rate, valve gape and heart rate in aquatic bivalves. We demonstrate the utility of the system using the response of Mediterranean blue mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) to changes in temperature. Stark differences in mussel responses to increased temperature were observed, depending on whether analysis was designed to include all data generated during temperature exposures, or if data pertaining to periods when mussels were open or closed were analysed separately. Our results highlight the importance of measuring valve gape alongside metabolic rate and/or heart rate, to provide context regarding the physiological status of the mussel, and discover responses that are not observable by independent measurement of individual parameters.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Experimental Biology, 2026 · DOI ↗
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