Abstract
Growth of a freshwater mussel, Anodonta woodiana japonica, reared in an artificial stream receiving river water polluted with agricultural pesticides was investigated. The growth rate of mussels was controlled mainly by water temperature and concentration of phytoplancton however the mussel growth rate from June or July to the beginning of August both in 1996 and 1997 was much smaller than that estimated with a model that uses these factors. In those summer periods, the river water had been polluted with some agricultural pesticides, and the effect of such chemicals in river water may be an important factor on the growth of the mussel. Various methods of setting the mussels were compared to develop as a biomonitoring method using the mussel in situ.
