Abstract
The invasive alien species Mytilus galloprovincialis aggregates to form dense colonies on the surface of port and harbor structures and accelerates eutrophication in the benthic environment by accumulating substantially the mussel feces on the sea bottom. However, the effect on the benthic environment by the mussel feces has not been quantitatively assessed yet. The present study aims to develop the discriminating method of the mussel feces in sinking materials on the basis of the morphological characteristics.
As a result of the microscopic observation of 60 fecal pellets shed by various sizes of the mussels from Tokyo Bay, 86.7% of the pellets had all of the four characteristics: a longitudinal shape, an uniform width, a depressed shape and a longitudinal groove. The accurate discrimination of the mussel feces in sinking materials is expected by using the four characteristics.
