Mussels enhance digestive enzyme activity in preparation for stressful fluctuating environments.

ABSTRACT: Elevated heat and low phytoplankton abundance are physiologically and ecologically challenging marine organisms of the northeast Pacific, including the mussel Mytilus californianus. During low tide, mussels are exposed to warm air and undergo anaerobic metabolism. Tidal variation coincides with daily fluctuations in food availability requiring flexible response systems (e.g., changes in digestive enzyme activity) to maintain homeostasis. In this study we allowed mussels to acclimate in tidal mesocosms with or without aerial heat across high and low levels of food abundance, after which we measured amylase (carbohydrase) activity and gene expression. Remarkably, enzyme activity was unpredictably elevated during low tide in fasted or moderate heat-stress (+ 8 °C; 23 °C) conditions, thereby p

SUBMITTER: James Bond JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12935838 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature